Love's Salvation
by Aniyu Shadowraven
Summary: BranWill,onesided SimonWill The Dark is gone and Will's alone right? Wrong. Someone remembers and that someone has secretly betrayed the Light. 3 years later,it's Will's B-Day and his worst nightmares will come true.
1. GoodByes

_Edited as of 3 June, 2009_

**Aniyu: Hi People! Newbie here, so please be gentle when you R&R. Now, where is he?**

**Will: Who are you looking for?**

**Aniyu: (grin) Will, there you are! Do the disclaimer.**

**Will: (sighing) Why me?**

**Aniyu: (evil chuckle) I'll lock you in a closet with Simon.**

**Will: (horrified yell) Okay, fine! Aniyu does not own The Dark is Rising Sequence. The only thing she owns is a copy of the series and hopefully this plot. There, happy?**

**Aniyu: Very much so. Be gentle with those reviews please. Also, please read the fine print:**

**This contains slash a.k.a boyxboy material! Don't like, don't read! All flames will roast Simon!**

**Anayi: I think they get the point hikari. Please, go read the story.**

Love's Salvation:

Good-Byes

"Now don' forget to tell your mum I said hallo, right Will?" Jen Evans said to Will once they came to the train station. Will smiled sadly, "Don't worry, Aunt Jen. I'll be sure to give her all your regards."

Jen was curious as to why Will was so sad-like in the past few days, but she didn't ask him about it. Will, however, knew exactly why he had been sad the past few days. When the Dark was pushed outside of time, Will knew he was to be alone, young eternally and immortal. No one aside from himself had any knowledge that the fight against the Dark ever happened. Will was now the Watcher of the Light, to watch as Merlin had for all eternity.

Will also knew that life at home would be very different. He knew that his mother and his sister, Mary, had willingly been working with the Dark and would have been thrown outside of Time as well. None of his remaining family would take well to their _'disappearance'_.

Worse yet, Will would be forced to watch them all pass on and die along with his friends, never able to join them. Will felt like crying.

Jane hugged him, "You take care and visit us sometime!" Will hugged her back and nodded. Barney said jovially, "And whenever you can't visit, call or write!" Will smiled and nodded again. Mr. Evans hugged Will lightly, "You're a good hand to have around, _bach_. Expect another invitation next year." Will hugged him, smiling sadly.

John Rowlings and Rhys nodded in agreement to Mr. Evans' announcement. Owen Davis shook his hand, "Your uncle is quite right, Will-_bach_. Besides, Bran will need company over the summers." Will nodded in reply as Simon stepped up next. Simon also shook Will's hand, "You had best take care Will… and do come visit."

He nodded as Will once again caught that one glint in Simon's eyes. He had known for a short while that Simon fancied him. The bright, wanting glint in Simon's eyes was evidence enough of that. But not only did Will not return Simon's feelings, he couldn't be in a relationship because of his duties… It really didn't help that the one Will _had_ fallen in love with was the last one to say farewell.

Bran stood in front of Will, sending Simon a cold glare out of the corner of his eye unbeknownst to Will. Bran then looked Will over, taking in everything about his secret love. It pained Bran heavily to see the deep sadness and loneliness that had built up in Will's eyes. He wished he knew why Will looked like that now, and why he couldn't remember really anything of Will's stay in Wales.

The albino asked, "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

Will, in confusion, nodded and Bran led him to a private spot, near the platform, but out of sight of the others. Bran turned to Will, held his hands and asked, "Will… there's something I don't understand… Why are you so sad? I see it in your eyes, hear it in your voice, feel it in your presence… Why?"

The brunette looked at him in shock at having been caught. He looked down, completely torn, "I'm so sorry Bran… But I can't tell you."

Bran asked in confusion, "Why? What is causing you this pain?"

Those stormy, blue-grey eyes couldn't meet Bran's gaze as he replied, "Because you wouldn't understand. Trust me, I know you wouldn't." Bran let go of one of Will's hands to gently lift Will's head. He looked deep into Will's eyes, asking a silent question, _'Why?'_ Will whispered, "It's too complicated and unreal for you to understand or even believe… And it's my burden to bear."

The level of sadness and pain in Will's voice not only scared Bran; it brought him to a realization. _'Something, or someone, is keeping Will from telling me.' _

Bran then shocked Will; he drew Will into a tender embrace. Bran's arms were wrapped loosely around Will's waist, keeping him against Bran's body. Hesitantly, Will reached up and wrapped his arms around Bran's shoulders.

The tawny-eyed boy whispered, "I understand that you can't tell me… But if you ever need comfort or help, please, call me. I don't want anything to happen to you… Will _cariad_." Will had tears in his eyes as he replied, "Thank you… Bran _cariad_. That means a lot to me."

Bran carefully wiped the tears away from Will's face. Will smiled gratefully at Bran, his first true smile in a few days. Bran smiled in reply, nuzzling Will's cheek lovingly. Will smiled again and nuzzled back.

The older boy chuckled, "Come on, your train will pull in soon." Will nodded and they separated to return to the others without looking suspicious. They didn't know Simon had seen and heard their exchange. Simon glared at Bran the whole time they stood on the platform.

As the train pulled into the station, Will turned and smiled at the others. "Bye everyone! I'll see you again next year I hope?" Everyone nodded while Bran offered to help him with his bags. When they were onboard, Bran hugged Will good-bye before rejoining the others outside.

Everyone waved rapidly at Will as the train left. Will laughed and waved back just as rapidly until they were out of sight.

TBC...

**Anayi: (whistle) Eight pages for the first chapter. Not bad hikari.**

**Aniyu: I have most of the story written out, but I still need to tweak the last few chapters. I'll try to update whenever I can, but I ask that you be a bit patient. Please review, and I'll put the next 2 chappies up.**

**Bran: BTW, cariad means 'love' and bach means 'boy', used as an affectionate term here.**

**Stephen: Aniyu is open to ideas and constructive criticism, but no flames please.**

**Everyone: R&R people!**

**Aniyu: (smirk) Or I'll sick Simon in a stripper outfit on you.**


	2. Disturbing Greeting

_Edited as of 3 June, 2009_

**Aniyu: (in shock) I got a review…**

**Bran: Shocking, isn't it?**

**Simon: (frustrated) Why do I have to get picked on!**

**Anayi: (bluntly) Because my hikari thinks you're a bastard, that's why.**

**Aniyu: Here's the disclaimer; I no own Dark Is Rising, you no sue.**

Love's Salvation:

Disturbing Greeting

It was now three years after the defeat of the Dark, and it was almost Will's birthday. Will was sitting on the window seat of his attic bedroom so he could watch the sky, musing over how his life had changed so quickly.

Things had indeed been very different without his mum and Mary. It was assumed that they had left for a distant relative's house for good. The family, though, actually became closer because of the incident.

Stephen resigned from the Navy and took a job as a University professor a few towns away. Max was always near since he had taken charge of a farm not too far away. Paul was the new music instructor for the high school in the next town. Robin was the dance instructor at the local school and stayed with Max. James was off at college. Barbara was a professional artist that often visited home on the holidays & birthdays. Gwen helped Max out at his farm as well as home studied to become a doctor.

Mr. Stanton was heart-broken about his wife and youngest daughter, but he continued to take care of the farm and his family. Will had kept in touch with his friends, visiting Wales in the summer and Cornwall for a week in spring. He was rather happy with the way things were, though he knew they would end.

All of that aside, Will had found a few things strange lately. His father and the two eldest brothers had extended the kitchen over the past few months. Max often had Will over to help with the farm and play with the horses and dogs, while he and Gwen were doing who-knows-what. Paul, when it was discovered that Will had talent with string instruments and certain horns, would constantly have Will come and play with some of his classes. Will was also often asked to sing in random, impromptu church choir gatherings.

It had taken quite awhile to figure out that they had something planned for his birthday. He was currently wondering what it could be when he heard noises downstairs. Will left his room and went to the stairs to listen.

"Sshh! Will'll hear us if you don't keep quiet!" "Well, Barbara, I would be quiet if Barney hadn't stepped on my foot." "Sorry James." "Sshh!"

Will didn't know whether to laugh or cry out in shock. "Don't 'Sshh' me Simon!" "I wouldn't have to if you would be quiet." "Drew, shut up." "Bran, please don't start." "Sorry Gwen." Will nearly laughed hysterically. "If Will hasn't heard us by now, then we're lucky." "Father! You'll give us away!" "Max, hush." "Make me Steve."

The brunette tiptoed downstairs silently and peeked into the living room. All his siblings, the Drew kids, his father, and Bran were trying to come inside quietly, and weren't very successful. Will quickly made it look as though he had been asleep and cleared his throat loudly, "Goodness James, Barbara. You two are loud enough to wake the dead." Everyone froze in shock; luckily the Drew kids and Bran were mostly unnoticeable behind Stephen, Max, and Mr. Stanton.

Gwen was at Will's side immediately, "Oh Will, were you asleep? Are you feeling alright?" She was questioning Will endlessly until Will laughed.

"I heard everything you all were whispering for the past minute or two. So the Drew kids and Bran can come out of hiding now."

There were a couple of disappointed groans from his siblings before Bran bounded out from behind Stephen. Will jumped him and they wrestled for a little bit in greeting. Simon growled quietly and glared at Bran.

Stephen noticed Simon's reaction to Will and Bran's greeting, and saying that he disapproved of Simon's behavior would be an understatement. Stephen gave Simon a slight shove and when Simon looked up Stephen gave him a warning glare. Simon looked away, a snarl on his face.

Will and Bran broke apart laughing and Will greeted everyone else with a smile. That is… until he came to Simon. Simon asked, "Could I speak to you a moment in privet?" Will was confused, but he nodded. As they went toward the hall and staircase, Will threw a worried, almost frightened glance at Stephen and Bran.

Stephen and Bran shared a look, and Bran followed them while Stephen provided a distraction. If it weren't for the fact that Will had spotted Bran following, Will would have stopped Simon from going upstairs. Simon took Will to the attic bedroom and at the doorway, Will tripped and shoved Simon forward so Bran could run in and hide without Simon spotting him.

When Simon got up, he helped up Will, locking the door in the process. Bran definitely didn't like the looks of this situation. Will asked in obvious nervousness, "Is something wrong Simon?" Simon approached Will slowly and Will quickly backed away. But soon Will backed into a wall and Simon had him cornered.

Simon growled, "Why do you have to be so close to that damn Morgan!" Will's eyes narrowed, "I'm sorry if you don't like the fact that I'm more comfortable around Bran. But with the way you're behaving it's no wonder why I'm not comfortable around you."

At this, Simon slapped Will across the face, causing him to fall to the floor. Bran was about to move to attack Simon, but Will sent him a short gaze that pleaded with him to wait.

Simon pulled Will up and asked, "Why do you go to him when all he'll do is cause you pain?" Will replied, "I don't know what you mean by that, but for the last time Simon: I-DON'T-LIKE-YOU-THAT-WAY! I don't tend to like people who only want me for my body." Simon growled and slammed Will against the wall.

Will's hands were pinned behind his back, so he couldn't shove Simon away. Simon had one hand pinning Will's waist to the wall and the other held a fist full of Will's sweater. Then Simon tried to force a brutal kiss on Will, making Will thrash to get away.

Bran dashed from his hiding spot in rage and threw Simon off of Will. Will leaned onto Bran's chest, gently rubbing his throat where Simon had kissed him. Bran declared furiously, "Touch or threaten Will again and you'll regret it dearly Simon Drew." Simon snarled, "You have no right to him Morgan! You'll pay dearly for this Bran Davis!"

TBC…

**Barney: (whining) It's only the second chapter & I'm already getting yelled at!**

**Anayi: (annoyed) Cry me a river why don' ya?**

**Jane: Oh behave Barney.**

**Aniyu: (cheerfully) Review response!**

**AnBuIsLoVe's- **_Yay cookies! Thank you for the compliment, I love feedback. Don't worry, I'll continue the story. Promise!_

**Bran: BTW, Morgan is considered an insult when aimed at a Welshman.**

**Aniyu: On to the next chapter!**


	3. Loving Concern

_Edited as of 3 June, 2009_

**Aniyu: (smirking) Told you I'd have two chapters up.**

**Anayi: Who's doing the disclaimer?**

**Bran: Aniyu doesn't own Dark Is Rising, so don't bother suing.**

**Will: (grinning) No animals were harmed during the making of this chapter, though Simon was permanently maimed.**

**Aniyu: (snickering) Enjoy!**

Love's Salvation:

Loving Concern

Simon was composing himself as he left to return downstairs; when Simon left the room, Bran turned to Will, concern clearly etched on his face.

Will whispered, "I'm alright… a little freaked out, but alright."

Bran lifted a hand to the slight red area on Will's throat and touched it lightly, to make sure no harm was done. He felt the ever so slight dents that could have only been left by teeth and a slight wetness that Will hadn't wiped away yet. He was beyond furious. "That bastard…"

The albino moved to go after Simon, but Will stopped him, him a pleading look. "Bran, I know you're angry, but please… don't hurt him while we're with my family."

Those amber eyes softened and Bran hugged Will, "Don't worry. Your family will never know." Will hugged him back as he tucked his head beneath Bran's chin, "_Diolch cariad_." Bran whispered into his hair, "_Croeso_ _cariad_."

_**(Back Downstairs, Later)**_

Stephen watched with a peaceful smile as Will sat in the corner with Bran, Barney and Jane, chatting over cups of hot cocoa. It was great to see his youngest sibling so happy and comfortable. Stephen stopped to think about that.

'_How long as it been since I've seen him happy and comfortable? ...Too long…' _That was true; it had been a long time.

Ever since Will had come home that summer three years ago, he hadn't been the same. Stephen seemed to be the only one who noticed, aside from Bran obviously. Now, Will always looked like he had the cares of the world on his shoulders and a very strong sense of loneliness and sorrow was always present in him, especially in his eyes.

Every time Stephen looked at Will, he felt like he wanted to protect Will from something… and that confused him **(An: Aaww, poor Steve is confused)**.

Stephen felt as if something was missing from his memory, something that was vitally important to understanding why he felt this way about Will. He decided to first talk to Bran about Will's behavior and then approach Will himself. After all, there was no point in worrying Will if he didn't need to. Stephen continued to watch Will with worried confusion.

'_What's causing your pain, my little one?'_

TBC…

**Aniyu: (sheepishly) Sorry, had to add in some Stephen angst.**

**Anayi: (shaking her head) Diolch means thank you, and Croeso means (you're) welcome.**

**Bran: (demanding) Why haven't I gotten to kiss Will yet!**

**Will: Calm down Bran. I'm sure it will happen soon.**

**Bran: (suggestively) I think I know how soon too…**

**Will: (blush) …**

**Aniyu: Okay, I need some reviews please! If I get 5, I'll put another chapter up.**

**Anayi: R&R please!**


	4. Understanding

_Edited as of 3 June, 2009_

**Aniyu: (shocked) Holy Hell, people like my story…**

**Anayi: (amused) Don't mind her everyone, she'll snap out of it in a minute.**

**Simon: I'm very shocked that people like this… I mean, how can someone actually read, let alone write, me as a bad guy!**

**Bran: (eyes rolling) I'll borrow Anayi's phrase; cry me a river why don' ya? Besides, Aniyu can write you as a bad guy if she wants, she's the authoress!**

**Aniyu: (snaps out of her daze) Thank you Bran. Now, I'll do the review responses at the end of the chapter, but I'd like to send a big thanks out to my beta, Bronze. Bronze has helped me big time with the rewrites and I'm grateful for that. Thanks Bronze!**

**Stephen: Aniyu does not own The Dark is Rising Sequence, so don't sue.**

**Will: (looks at muttering lawyers) Do you want me to send you outside of Time? I hear the Black Rider's been extremely drunk since the final battle. (lawyers run away in a dust cloud)**

**Aniyu: Enjoy!**

Love's Salvation

Understanding

Bran excused himself from the chatting circle to top off his cocoa, laughing as Barney feigned begging for him to stay. As he entered the kitchen, Bran spotted Stephen standing beside the cabinets with a curious look on his face.

Acknowledging the eldest Stanton sibling, Bran let the kitchen door close behind him quietly so as not to alert the others to their conversation.

"What happened between you, Will, and Simon earlier?" Stephen started.

The albino explained what happened with only slight hesitation. He had promised Will that he wouldn't hurt Simon while around the Stanton family, and he was quite sure that Will didn't want his family to know about the incident. But Bran had a gut feeling that Stephen was supposed to know. Stephen, meanwhile, was becoming angrier by the minute.

"That bloody…!" Stephen nearly swore at the top of his lungs, but Bran stopped him.

"I don't like it either. _Duw_, if I had my way, I would have thrown him out the window or at least have punched him! But that wasn't what Will wanted, so I didn't. The question is: what do we do about Simon?"

After a few moments of Stephen simmering down, the eldest Stanton sibling spoke thoughtfully, "I could ask Max to have Simon room with him tonight. The original plan was to have you, Will, and the Drew boys bunk together while Jane was with the girls and I shared with Max. I'll just switch with Simon and Max will assume that I want to spend more time with Will."

Bran nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea. Maybe we could find some way to keep Simon busy…"

Stephen laughed, "That's already taken care of. The Drew kids have to go through dance lessons with the twins and the girls." Bran laughed as he remembered his own dance lessons and what they were for.

Bran had finished making himself another cocoa at this point and turned to go back to the living room; however, Stephen asked him a question that made him freeze in his tracks.

"Bran? I know this may seem abrupt, but do you love Will?"

**(Aniyu: This would make a great cliffhanger… But I wouldn't do that all of you!)**

The albino boy didn't know how to answer. _'Should I tell him? Or should I run as if the Grey King is after me?'_

"It's alright if you do or don't; I just want to make sure the signs I've seen aren't a thing of my crazy imagination."

This made Bran sigh in relief. "Yes, I do love him. Who can't love him? I just wish I knew why he looks like he's carrying the world on his shoulders…"

Stephen nodded with a worried look. "I've noticed that too, though I was hoping you would have an idea why Will looks like that."

"I truly wish I did…" Bran hesitated before letting his sentence die off. He knew that the moment on the train platform three years ago needed to stay between Will and himself. The memory of Will looking so sad, vulnerable… it made Bran's heart twist painfully and his protective instincts flared.

"I do know this, I'm not going to let anyone hurt Will and get away with it," Bran stated firmly, determination burning brighter than the sun in his amber eyes.

Stephen gave him a soft smile, "I'm glad that Will's going to have someone who will always protect him when I can't. When he's yours Bran, you do your best to take care of him." Bran smiled in return, a slight blush on his cheeks.

Neither of them saw the crack in the kitchen door close, nor saw Barney walk outside to find Simon.

TBC…

**Aniyu: Review responses!**

**(Azure-lupis)**_ Cookies! Thank you for the compliment on how I portray the characters' feelings, I tried my best! Don't worry; I will see this through to the end!_

**(Fimbrethil)**_ I'm really sorry about the '&'s! When I get my laptop back I will fix it! Now as for Stephen, I wanted him to be closer to home to help illustrate how much closer the family became after Mrs. Stanton and Mary disappeared; the whole Navy concept wouldn't have helped that. I chose to make him a university professor since some of the other siblings were in school-related positions._

_As for how he became a professor, I remembered from the books that at least all the siblings except Stephen, Gwen, and Max were still in school. Since the disappearance of one parent would make supporting the large family difficult, I decided that, as the oldest, Stephen would quit the Navy to help out. The degrees and stuff I really didn't look into since this is just a fanfic. I'm continuing this, don't worry!_

**(Bronze)**_ Once I get my laptop back, those '&'s will disappear! Simon will certainly get what he deserves, because he's an evil git!_

**Simon: (indigent) Hey!**

_Bran and Will definitely end up together; I wouldn't have it any other way! Thank you again for beta reading for me!_

**Aniyu: Please R&R!**


	5. Obsession

_Edited as of 2 July, 2009_

**Aniyu: Hey everyone! I'm back!**

**Simon: (sarcastically) Oh, let's jump for joy! Yay!**

**Anayi: (fuming) You could be a little grateful. This chapter practically revolves around you, almost.**

**Simon: (blinking) Really?**

**Barney: (whining) What am I, chopped liver!**

**Bran: (mischievously) Okay Barney, since you play a lead role in this chapter, you get to… do the disclaimer!**

**Barney: (pouting) Fine. Aniyu doesn't own The Dark is Rising. How many times do we have to say it?**

**Will: Once per chapter.**

**Barney: (double pout)**

**Aniyu and Stephen: Enjoy!**

Chapter 5:

Obsession

Barney carefully and quietly closed the kitchen door, his mind reeling from what he'd just heard. He walked to the front door, watching as Bran rejoined Will and Jane in the living room before sneaking outside.

'_I need to find Simon… He wouldn't really force himself on Will… Would he?'_

It only took a moment to find Simon, since the eldest Drew sibling was walking out from behind the large tool shed with a disgruntled look on his face. One of the twins, Robin, was following Simon with a cheerful grin. Upon spotting Barney, Simon ran to his youngest sibling in hopes of ditching Robin.

As soon as Simon reached him, Barney asked, "Simon, can I talk to you a minute?" Simon nodded and followed Barney out toward the chicken coop. Once Barney was certain no one else was around, he turned to face Simon with an almost desperate glint in his eyes.

"Simon, did you really try to… Did you hurt Will?"

Simon's eyes narrowed in suspicion and slight anger at the question. "What makes you think I did?"

Barney hesitated a moment before replying, "When you came back from talking with Will, you seemed angry. Will's face was red, as if he had been slapped, and Bran's been hovering over him protectively since the three of you came downstairs."

Simon sighed before pinning Barney with a stern gaze, "What I'm about to tell you, you can't tell anyone. Not even Jane can know, understand?"

Barney nodded, but he decided if what he heard could be potentially harmful to anyone, he would tell Stephen. The youngest Drew sibling had a bad feeling about what he would learn, but he knew he had to listen.

Simon looked satisfied with Barney's nod and took a deep breath. "I lost control of myself. Seeing him being so close and friendly with Will… Barney, I hate Bran. I hate him so much for holding Will's notice and affections. I told Will as much and he told me that he was more comfortable with that Welsh freak than me! I smacked him; it was the only thing I could do!"

There was a crazed look in Simon's eyes, and Barney had to fight the urge to run. A dark and foreboding air seemed to be pressing in around him, something that felt eerily familiar to Barney. But he couldn't figure out why.

"I tried to explain to him why that Morgan didn't deserve him, I really tried! But he wouldn't listen. I attempted to show him why as well, but Will fought me and the freak interrupted. Will's mine and that bloody _Morgan_ is trying to steal him! He won't take what's mine."

Now Barney was frightened, no, terrified. He had always suspected that Will was an infatuation for Simon, or maybe Simon had fallen in love. But this…

'_Simon's not in love or infatuated at all…'_

Barney knew he needed to find Stephen without Simon becoming suspicious, so his next words were spoken soothingly. "I'll let you be alone now. I never meant to upset you; I just wanted to know if you had hit Will. See you later."

Barney walked away calmly until he was back inside the house; then he ran to find Stephen.

'_What the hell am I suppose to tell him! …I'll figure it out when I--'_

His thoughts were interrupted when he slammed into someone much bigger than himself. Barney looked up through his bangs to see Stephen blinking owlishly down at him.

Stephen helped Barney up, asking in concern, "Are you okay, Barney? What's the rush?"

Barney stated, his tone grave, "Stephen, I need to speak to you. There's something you need to know about Simon."

Stephen led Barney to the twins' empty room, curiosity, and a little bit of anger bouncing around in his head. The two of them sat on Paul's bunk and Stephen gave Barney his undivided attention.

The dirty blonde boy chewed his lip nervously for a moment, contemplating how to begin. Stephen sensed his nervousness and soothed him, "Just take your time Barney."

Barney took a deep breath before beginning. "I knew Simon was really angry when he came back from talking to Will, and I saw the slap mark on Will's face when he and Bran came down. I asked Simon about it because I was worried about Will."

At this point, Barney was shaking as he remembered the look in his brother's eyes.

"You should have heard him… Simon sounded desperate at first, saying that he had lost control of himself. But then, he just started to sound like a _madman_. He called Bran a freak and a _Morgan_, saying he hated him."

An unpleasant knot tightened in Barney's gut as he continued, not looking at Stephen's reaction. "I had always suspected that Simon was infatuated, possibly even in love, with Will. But… The last thing he said before I left was, and I quote: _'Will's mine and that bloody Morgan is trying to steal him! He won't take what's mine.'_ He's not in love or infatuated, he's obsessed."

Stephen had stayed silent the whole time Barney was speaking. On the outside, Stephen's expression was grim; but on the inside, he was burning with anger and his protective instincts for his youngest brother were in overdrive. He was also worried about Bran and how he would react to this new information.

Noticing that Barney was growing very uncomfortable with the ensuing silence, Stephen spoke kindly, "Thank you for telling me about Simon, Barney. Don't worry; everything's going to be fine."

Barney smiled and asked, "How did you know I needed to hear that? Jane senses stuff like that a lot too."

Stephen chuckled, "It's an elder sibling thing. I'm always worried about my siblings, Will especially. We take care of our younger siblings, and many times our protectiveness and empathy extend to anyone who is younger than us."

Both of them chuckled a little before returning downstairs and going into the kitchen for some cocoa. Stephen considered taking Bran aside to tell him about Barney's revelation; but upon seeing Bran and Will laughing with Jane and Max, he thought better of it.

'_I'll wait until after dinner to tell him… Maybe I should have a chat with Simon first.'_

TBC…

**Simon: (outraged) WTF, I demand a rewrite! This is injustice!**

**Anayi: (sing-song) Oh Wufei! Simon stole your phrase! BTW, Aniyu doesn't own Gundam Wing either.**

**Wufei: (wielding his katana) I'll show you injustice!**

**Simon: (screaming) O.O Aahh shit! (runs away)**

**Aniyu: (smiling) I'll do review responses with the next chapter. BTW, if anyone would like to guest host the next chapter with me, e-mail me a description of your character!**

**Will: See that button that says 'Go', next to the review option? Click it please! We do accept anonymous reviews and flames are amusing.**


	6. Important Notice

**Aniyu: Okay, little note here. No I am not abandoning this fic. I have been having computer issues.**

**Will: That's an understatement.**

**Aniyu: (glares) Anyway, I've also been busy with school. I promise I'll have two new chapters up soon! Thank you for your patience.**


	7. Calm Before the Storm

_Edited as of 2 July, 2009_

**Aniyu: Sorry for being gone so long! I was having computer issues.**

**Simon: Oh great, she's back.**

**Aniyu: (blinks) I see you got away from 'Fei. But anyway, I'm hoping to get two chapters up this time, and I'll have to postpone the review responses until chapter eight. Sorry!**

**Anayi: Cool. Let's see… since you were rude, you have to do the disclaimer, Simon.**

**Simon: (growls) Bitch. Aniyu doesn't own Dark is Rising, so don't bother suing.**

**Aniyu: Onward to the chapter!**

Chapter 6:

Calm Before the Storm

Will watched in curiosity as Stephen and Barney went into the kitchen. _'I wonder what that was about... And why does it seem like certain people are hiding things from me?'_ Will glanced at Bran as these thoughts went through his head, before looking back at the kitchen door.

The albino boy had gone to the kitchen for more cocoa and had not returned for a good fifteen minutes. To Will's confusion, Barney had gone outside looking spooked just seconds before Bran had returned to the living room. Stephen had gone upstairs, giving Will a secretive grin at his questioning look. About ten minutes after that, Barney had tore upstairs looking a bit upset.

Jane had wanted to go up and check on her brother, but Max had come down a few seconds later, assuring her that Stephen had everything under control. Will had tried to ask what was wrong, but Max waved the question off and told a few jokes instead. Now that Stephen and Barney had made an appearance, Barney looking like nothing had ever been wrong, Will was positive something was wrong.

'_There's a storm brewing, and I have no idea where it will come from. First Simon basically tries to molest me; Bran disappears for a fifteen minute cocoa run; Barney runs around looking like the Dark Rider's on his heels; and now he looks like nothing happened at all.'_

Will's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he watched Barney and Stephen leave the kitchen and join them. Stephen seemed to notice his look, because he smirked in a way that said _'I'm not telling'_.

The youngest Stanton turned to ask Barney a question, but Jane beat him to it. "Are you all right, Barney? You seemed extremely upset earlier…"

Barney blushed a little as he answered. "I'm fine, Jane. A noise startled me pretty badly while I was outside and I went to find Stephen since he seems to know about everything around here. Sorry if I worried you. I think I shocked Simon too when I ran past him."

The two Drew siblings laughed at that, while Will looked out the window in curiosity.

'_Now that I think about it, I haven't seen Simon since that incident upstairs. Not that I'm complaining, but that does seem strange.'_

Will noticed Bran's eyes narrow at the mention of Simon, and he couldn't blame the albino. Bran had been livid at Simon for the upstairs incident, and it wouldn't surprise Will if his best friend would prefer that Simon drop off the face of the Earth.

That made Will close his eyes with an inward smile. Bran had always been protective of him, especially after he had been introduced to the Drew siblings. He remembered how nasty Bran had been to Jane once.

She had made the mistake of saying that because she had known him longer, she was a closer friend of Will's than Bran was. The tongue-lashing she received had sent Barney into hysteric giggles and Will had looked at her in pity. Since then, Jane had gushed at the sight of him and Bran standing together.

'_I doubt there's anyone inside of Time that could ever mean more to me than Bran… except maybe my siblings… but that's stretching it.'_

Will opened his eyes to see Bran looking at him with a silent question. The stormy-eyed teen shook his head before gesturing to the kitchen. Bran seemed to understand, immediately standing up.

"Does anyone else want more cocoa? Will and I are getting more."

Jane handed over her mug, as did Max. The two boys went to the kitchen, making sure the door shut behind them.

Bran set the water to boil while Will dug the cocoa fixings back out. There was silence for maybe a minute.

"Bran? Why did you take so long to get cocoa last time?"

The Welsh teen looked at his best friend, whose eyes were full of questions. Bran really didn't want to have to tell Will about his conversation with Stephen, so he tried to play it off.

"The water was taking a long time to boil and Stephen was asking me about the first time you came to Wales. He seemed to think something had happened to you while you were there."

The ploy worked all right, but Will's eyes gained a new level of sadness that twisted Bran's heart painfully. He crossed over to Will's side and gently touched his arm.

"What's wrong? Was it something I said?" Bran was suddenly reminded of their conversation on the train platform, and asked quietly, "Or is it about what you told me on the platform?"

Will looked up into Bran's eyes and nodded. That was all the answer Bran needed as he wrapped Will in a close embrace. Will leaned against his unknowing prince's body in gratitude and a bittersweet smile crossed Bran's face.

'_How is it that a simple hug can make my heart soar and break at the same time? _Duw_, I can't even look him in the eyes without my heart trying to jump out of my chest! But… no matter how badly I want to tell him, something keeps telling me _not yet_…'_

The kettle chose that moment to start whistling, causing Will to jump in surprise. Bran chuckled while Will swatted his arm with a smile. Bran pulled the kettle off the stove as Will prepped the mugs with one part cocoa powder and one part milk.

While Bran finished making the cocoa, Will looked out the window and froze. He shook his head and looked again with uneasy eyes. Bran noticed and looked at Will in confusion.

"What's wrong?"

Will replied quietly, "It feels like a storm is coming. It's probably just my imagination."

But as Bran looked out the window himself, he couldn't help feeling that Will was right. Though it was clear and crisp outside, standing on a low hill was Simon. The eldest Drew sibling's back was facing them, and that worried Bran for some reason.

Little did Bran know, that what Will had seen was Simon standing in front of a rider and horse. A black horse, whose rider wore a light blue cloak and had red hair.

As the two boys turned to leave the kitchen, they both had the same thought.

'_The calm before the storm…'_

TBC…

**Anayi: Not bad hikari. That's longer than some of your recent chapters.**

**Aniyu: Good. Well, I hope to have another chapter up soon.**

**Bran: (cursing) Damn it, still no kiss.**

**Will: (chuckling) That's a bit later, Bran.**

**Aniyu: Hey! No spoilers!!**

**Will: (sheepishly) Sorry.**

**Aniyu: Oh well. Hope everyone enjoys! R&R please!**


	8. Subtle Hostilities

**Aniyu: I have returned! I apologize for the delay, computer troubles.**

**Simon: (groan) Will it never end?**

**Anayi: (growls) Do you have a death wish, Drew? 'Cause I'll be happy to fulfill it.**

**Simon: No thanks… (shudders)**

**Aniyu: As I said last chapter, I will do review responses in chapter eight, which will be posted soon if not with this chapter. But just to let everyone know, I'm not even at the midway point with this story. So expect a good fifteen to twenty chapters. No I'm not joking, so don't give me that look, Simon.**

**Bran: (snickers)**

**Aniyu: Will, could you do the disclaimer, please?**

**Will: She doesn't own us, so don't sue.**

**Aniyu: Thanks! Now onward!**

Chapter 7:

Subtle Hostilities

Max watched as Will and Bran returned from the kitchen, both seeming a little ill at-ease. The second eldest Stanton son could feel a very ominous air around the house, and was secretly on edge as it was; seeing the worry in his brother's eyes just made him extremely tense.

'_Something bad is going to happen soon, I just know it.'_

As Will and Bran sat down, the front door opened and Simon stepped inside. Max could feel the tension in the room jump to an almost stifling level, especially when Bran and Stephen looked in the eldest Drew's direction. Jane, Barney, and Will also noticed the tension and looked increasingly worried.

Max was positive that someone was going to start a fight with the way Simon was glaring at Bran and vice versa; thankfully, Robin came in at that moment with a mischievous grin.

"All Drew kids are to report to the barn please!"

Simon turned and went outside without a word, the air instantly lightening upon his departure. Jane and Barney hopped up, grinning nervously at Robin. Max couldn't help but chuckle at them; he knew they were going for their dance lesson, and he did not envy the fact that the twins would be their instructors.

Once the Drew kids left, followed by a grinning Robin, Max turned to Bran and the other two Stanton siblings.

"Hey Will, what's for dinner?"

Will blinked at his older brother before responding. "I don't know. Barbara said she was taking over dinner tonight, remember?"

Max put on his best puppy pout face. "Can you go find her for me, please?"

That made Stephen chortle as Will rolled his eyes. "Lazy bum."

"Love you too, baby brother," Max replied with a satisfied smile. Will sighed in mock exasperation before going upstairs to find his elder sister. The second he was sure Will was out of hearing range, Max turned to the other two.

"What the hell did Simon do to piss you two off?"

Bran just glared black death at the wall while Stephen looked like he wanted to disappear. Max counted silently in his head, 'Three… Two… One…'

"Well…" Stephen gave Max a general idea of what had happened, not including what Barney had told him. Max was silent after Stephen finished, his long bangs hiding his face.

Bran, who wasn't all that happy about someone else knowing what happened, looked at Max in curiosity, wondering what his reaction was. Suddenly, Max stood up and walked out the door. He was pissed beyond words, and decided to work off a little steam.

He entered the barn, making sure none of its occupants spotted him, and ducked behind a couple hay bales. Max waited until Simon was a couple feet away before bumping the bales. This caused the pitchfork leaning against the bales to fall, tripping up Simon and causing him to crash into the bales. The top bale was jarred enough by the impact that it fell on top of Simon.(1)

While the bale was a bit heavy, Max knew it wouldn't have caused any serious damage to the teen. He slipped out of the barn as silently as he came, knowing that Simon had seen him.

**(Inside the House)**

Will sighed as he returned downstairs; he had found Barbara and she told him that Max would have to wait until dinnertime to find out what they were having. He knew that the two of them loved to antagonize each other, Will just always ended up being the messenger. But Will also wasn't stupid; he knew that Max had spotted the tension between Bran, Stephen, and Simon, and was probably asking the other two about it.

'At this rate, the whole house will know what happened by dinner.'

"Is everything all right, Will?" "Huh?"

Will looked up and found a concerned Gwen looking at him from over a pile of fresh blankets. Immediately, Will tried to shut out all his negative thoughts; his sister was extremely empathic and would constantly worry herself sick if she felt her family was upset.

"I'm fine, Gwen. Here, let me help you with those." Will took half the blankets, knowing that they were going to his room for his roommates.

Gwen followed her baby brother to his room, a sad expression on her face. _'Oh my little one, why must Fate torture you so? So many sorrows on your young shoulders… if only you knew…'_ (2)

Once they reached the attic bedroom, they dressed the two extra cots with the blankets. Gwen finished first and sat down to wait for Will. Will also sat down as he finished, sensing a discussion coming on.

"Will, when did you fall in love with Bran?"

Whatever Will had been expecting, it certainly wasn't that. He nearly fell off the cot in surprise before collecting himself with a blush.

"I-I don't--" "Please Will… I can't help you with all your burdens, not yet, but I can help you release some of your pent up emotions. Humor me, please?"

Will pondered over his sister's words, suddenly curious as to the meaning behind them. After a brief silence, Will sighed and told her.

"As cliché as it sounds, it was definitely love at first sight. When I first met him on that mountain side and first looked into his eyes, I saw past the cold exterior and saw the kind person he truly was. It was, and still is, like he was filled to the brim with a Light that, while not pure, represented everything good in this world. He seemed to look into my heart and soul with ease, saw me for who I was, and next thing I know, I've fallen for him."

Gwen's heart twisted as deep sorrow appeared on Will's face. "There might have been a time when he could have returned my feelings, but now, I know he sees me as a brother. In a way, that makes me feel like I've lost the person I fell in love with."

'_Because, in a way, that's exactly what happened,'_ both Gwen and Will thought to themselves.

"Don't give hope, Will. I think you underestimate Bran's feelings for you."

Will looked at his sister, his eyes bright and wide as if he was a young child again. Gwen pulled him to her body in a gentle hug, stroking his long hair in a motherly caress. The youngest Stanton laid his head on her shoulder, letting all of his feelings of loneliness, sorrow, and hurt out in the form of crystal rivers flowing down his cheeks. After several minutes, when Will could cry no longer, Gwen stood and pulled him to his feet with a smile.

"Let's go help Barbara with dinner. We know how much she loves cooking huge meals, and she could probably use a hand."

Will smiled at her. "Y-Yeah, just let me go clean up."

Gwen watched him leave the room before walking over to the window. Near the barn, she could see the fading image of a cloaked figure on horseback.

'_The storm's coming, and I can only pray the High Magic watches over us. The Pendragon is needed again, in more ways than one…'_

**(Downstairs)**

Stephen had been silent since Max left and Bran felt he needed to break the silence. "What's Max going to do?"

A rueful grin appeared on the eldest Stanton's face. "Hopefully something lasting." Bran laughed a little. "We can only hope."

Max chose that particular moment to walk back into the house, a content smile on his face. Stephen raised an inquiring eyebrow at his brother, whose smile turned deceptively innocent. Bran had a mischievous sparkle in his eyes as he asked the obvious question.

"So, what did you do?" "Oh nothing, _really_. I was just, ah, _warming up_."

To the other two, that translated as, "Something to occupy Simon's mind until I think of something else."

Bran leaned back, amusement bright on his face. _'Tonight is going to be interesting.'_

About a minute later, Will and Gwen came downstairs with Barbara leading. The three of them went into the kitchen with an air of _'stay out'_ wafting from Barbara. Bran, ignoring Stephen and Max's warning looks, got up and went over to the kitchen door. He opened it only a crack, asking for Will.

Both brothers looked shocked when Will came out and not Barbara with a wooden spoon. Bran pulled Will into the entrance hall, away from the brothers' view and hearing range.

"Will, are you all right? You've been crying."

Will blinked at his albino friend before smiling sadly. "I think I'm fine, for now. Gwen and I just had a rather emotional discussion. Please, don't worry about me."

"I'll stop worrying when I know your pain is gone… and when Simon falls off the planet."

Will couldn't help but laugh at that comment. "Hostile much? Not that I blame you…"

Bran tried to look innocent. "Me? Hostile? You wound me, _boyo_!"

The albino did a mock impression of being stabbed, making Will laugh even more. Will gently pushed Bran back into the living room before returning to the kitchen with a dazzling smile. Stephen gave Bran a knowing look as Max good-naturedly teased the teen. Bran steadfastly ignored Max and retook his seat.

Fifteen minutes later, the twins brought the Drew kids back in, identical grins on their faces. Jane looked ready to drop and did just that once she reached her former spot. Barney looked ecstatic and full of energy, bouncing after the twins as they went to their bedroom. Simon stood in the entrance to the living room, staring at its occupants with fire in his eyes. The temperature seemed to drop as the tension rose.

Simon spoke to Jane, "I'll be in the study if I'm needed." As Simon turned to go further down the hall, Stephen called out.

"By the way, I'm switching rooms with you. You'll be bunking with Max and James."

The look on Simon's face was a cross between murderous and horror. Max grinned at him shrewdly and Simon turned and left very quickly. Jane watched this spectacle in worry, wondering what was wrong with her brother.

'Something odd is going on around here, and I think Simon's causing it.'

Suddenly, Mr. Stanton came inside carrying a few bags; he had been out running errands while the guests were getting settled in. Putting the bags down, Mr. Stanton checked to make sure Will wasn't present.

"Listen up. Tomorrow, were heading over to Max's home to stay for a couple days. That's where Will shall stay while a few of us commute between the two places and set up Will's party. You haven't unpacked yet, right?"

The question was directed at Bran and Jane; the Drew kids were staying until the 26th and Bran was staying until January 4th, so they had rather full bags. Both shook their heads and Mr. Stanton smiled.

"We'll only be over there until the morning after Will's birthday, three days before Christmas. I'll give you each small duffle bags so you can bring the few necessities for these next three days."

Everyone present nodded in understanding before Mr. Stanton picked up the bags and went upstairs. The living room came alive with talking and laughter as everyone waited for dinner to be ready.

**(An hour later)**

Everyone was seated at the table, basically drooling at the sight of all the food. There were scattered conversations and laughter as food was passed around and devoured. Mr. Stanton hadn't noticed the subtle hostility of Bran, Stephen, and Max towards Simon yet, but he began to get suspicious when Max seemed to accidentally spill some hot soup in Simon's lap.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm such a klutz at times." _'Well that's certainly true,'_ Mr. Stanton thought with a small smile.

Will was looking at his second eldest brother with some trepidation. The only times Max was a klutz was when he was deliberately provoking someone.

'_Does that mean he knows?'_

His fear seemed confirmed when Max suddenly jumped up, causing Simon to fall out of his chair in surprise. "Barbara, don't kick me!"

Barbara looked confused. "But I didn't kick you." "Well, someone did." Max had on his best pout, which had nothing on the one Will could pull off.

Gwen chuckled. "Stop pouting Max, you have nothing on Will's puppy pout." Max playfully stuck his tongue out at her before returning to his seat. Simon asked where the bathroom was and excused himself, his eyes seething.

Once Simon returned, Mr. Stanton made his announcement. "Everyone, we'll be heading over to Max's home in the morning so make sure to pack clothes for the next three days. No Will, I'm not telling why."

Will smiled complacently at his father's grin, knowing it probably had something to do with his birthday. He turned to Barbara as she gave a dramatic sigh.

"My baby's growing up so fast, sixteen already. Feels like he was a toddler only yesterday."

A shy flush appeared on Will's face. "Please don't start reminiscing, Barbara. You sound like you're old and gray." "Hey!"

Max and Robin immediately started teasing Barbara like crazy. Barney and Paul began discussing their artistic talents, while Jane and James argued over whether cats are evil or not. Stephen, Gwen, and Mr. Stanton talked about Stephen's classes, laughing at some of his comments about a few fellow professors.

Will and Bran were quietly discussing their musical talents, leaving Simon as the only silent one. Before long, dinner was over and Mr. Stanton volunteered to wash dishes along with Paul and Jane. Everyone else went into the living room, still chattering away. James took Simon upstairs so they could move his bags from Will's room to Max's room.

For the next hour or so, everyone sang carols and listened to Paul play his flute with merry smiles. Soon, everyone began to feel the effects of a full stomach, and retired for the night. Will led Stephen, Barney, and Bran up to his room, where Stephen and Barney immediately claimed the extra cots. This left Bran to share the bed with Will, both boys blushing at this realization. The four of them changed into their night clothes, Bran glimpsing Will's slender form, and Will glancing at Bran's toned form.

It was no surprise that both boys crawled on to the bed with cherry-red blushes.

Barney grinned knowingly at them before literally disappearing under his covers. Stephen laughed at the youngest Drew. "Are you going to be able to find your way out in the morning?"

"Hm… I don't know, do you have any bed crumbs I could leave as a trail?"

Everyone laughed at him before starting to settle. Stephen got up and turned out the lights, bidding his roommates goodnight. Barney and Will fell asleep pretty quickly, leaving the other two awake.

"Bran, come over here a minute," Stephen whispered to Bran, urgency in his voice. Bran carefully slipped out of bed and moved to sit on Stephen's cot.

"What's wrong?" Stephen's face was serious, highlighted by the moonlight drifting through the window.

"Barney found out something interesting this afternoon…" Bran immediately thought back to when Barney had practically flown upstairs in fright earlier. Stephen explained what Barney had told him, and with every sentence, Bran became more livid.

Bran didn't speak when Stephen had finished; he sat still, looking at Will's sleeping form and clenching his fists. Stephen, understanding Bran's feelings, laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Go rest Bran, we'll deal with Simon in the morning."

The Welsh teen nodded and returned to Will's side, smiling when Will curled up to him in his sleep. That was a habit of Will's, he would curl up to whom ever was next to him for warmth while sleeping. Bran wrapped an arm around his love, both as a sign of affection and protection.

'_I'll protect you, cariad, I promise. Sweet dreams, Will.'_

Stephen smiled at the sight before falling asleep. Bran watched the moonlight stream over Will, making him look ethereal. After about thirty minutes, Bran fell asleep, never realizing that Will was only feigning sleep.

The youngest Old One gazed at his love with a bittersweet smile before carefully leaving the bed. Silently and methodically, Will moved through the house and placed protective spells on all the doors and windows to keep the Dark out, especially the Black Rider. Will's own window was last, and as he looked outside, he saw the rider speed past the house with a malevolent smile.

Chills ran down Will's spine, and he returned to bed with dread in his heart. Bran seemed to unconsciously sense Will's distress, for he wrapped his arm tighter around the cinnamon-haired teen. Will curled closer to Bran, unable to keep a single tear from sliding down his face before falling asleep.

No one in the room ever heard the door open, or heard a figure move to the bed. The figure brushed a hand through Will's bangs, glaring at Bran.

"I get what I want, Pendragon. Have a _pleasant_ night, you two," the figure whispered before leaving. Seconds later, Will began to toss in his slumber.

TBC…

**Aniyu: There we go! Fluff, humor, and a little angst all in one chapter.**

**Will: (pouts) Why must I be tortured?**

**Anayi: Hey, you're going to get a happy ending. Unlike a certain someone.**

**Simon: (whines) Everyone's against me!**

**Aniyu: Yep! Hope everyone liked the Simon torture! Please R&R!**

**(1) Special thanks to Brianna for the idea and ice cream! (gives giant cake)**

**(2) Can anyone figure out what she means?**


	9. Bad Omens

**Aniyu: Another chapter is here!**

**Anayi: (yawning) Huh? Wha' you doin' up?**

**Aniyu: (grins) I owe my readers at least three chapters, so here's number two for my Spring Break set.**

**Will: But you've been up since this morning and now it's almost midnight.**

**Bran: Yeah, go to sleep!**

**Aniyu: I will, once I get this chapter up. BTW, has anyone seen my beta Bronze? She seems to have dropped off the planet. (pouts)**

**Everyone: No.**

**Simon: Maybe she left… Like everyone should-Ouch!!**

**Stephen: (retracts fist) Knock it off Drew.**

**Aniyu: I don't own these guys. Otherwise Bran wouldn't have lost his memories. I'll be doing review responses at the end of this chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 8:

Bad Omens

Will never felt the figure that had entered his room and touched his bangs; all he felt and saw was the hellish nightmare that ripped him from a dreamless sleep. Cold sweat slicked his skin, his muscles tensed to the point of pain, and his head and shoulders shifted restlessly. He was panting, struggling to breathe, and helpless whimpers slid past his lips.

Bran immediately awoke, sensing Will's distress. Taking in his companion's countenance, Bran started to shake Will's shoulder and whispered his name.

"Will… Will, wake up. It's just a dream, Will…"

The whimpering increased in intensity, causing Bran's heart to wrench in concern. Not knowing what else to do without waking up Stephen, Bran sat up and pulled Will into his arms. He stroked Will's hair, brushing his fingertips across Will's forehead soothingly before trailing his fingers down to his arm and pinching. Will woke up immediately, ready to scream.

Bran didn't know if was about to scream from his nightmare or because of the pinch, but Bran knew he didn't want the others to wake; so he did the first thing that came to mind.

He kissed Will to muffle his scream.

Will was so shocked that his scream died before leaving his mouth, his eyes wide in disbelief. Bran, however, was not paying attention to that; he was busy being overwhelmed by Will's hot chocolate taste and winter scent, and by the fact that he had been so bold as to kiss Will even if he had been trying to help.

Once Will had started to relax, both teens pulled out of the kiss with fiery blushes. Bran explained nervously. "I didn't want you to scream and wake the other two… I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable…"

"It's all right, Bran. Though, no offense, that was certainly an interesting way to wake up."

Will was so busy trying to reassure Bran, that he failed notice the fact that Bran did not say he regretted the kiss itself. A short silence engulfed them, before Bran asked the inevitable question.

"What were you dreaming about, Will? You sounded like… You sounded so afraid…"

When Bran received no response, he tilted Will's head up to look him in the eyes. Bran was reminded of their discussion on the train platform three years ago, as Will's eyes were filled with unshed tears. The only difference now was that the pain in those stormy eyes' depths had increased tenfold.

"I-I know you're probably getting tired of hearing this, b-but I can't tell you… At least, not everything… And what I can, I-I don't think I have the courage to say…"

Though Will was partially right –Bran was indeed tired of being told he could do nothing for his love-, Bran insisted that he tell him. "Will, please. I can't stand seeing you so hurt, and not be able to help you in any way. Please Will, tell me what you can."

Tears cascaded down the smaller teen's face and his body shook like a leaf. When Bran started to doubt that Will would speak, he heard a whispered statement that stopped his heart cold.

"I-I saw you k-killing me."

Bran looked at Will in absolute shock, struck speechless by that one sentence. Will lowered his eyes to hide his pain, regardless of the fact that Bran had already seen it. After a few minutes, Bran pulled Will into a tight embrace and whispered in his ear.

"Will, I swear to you, I would never willingly hurt you, and I would sooner die than kill you. Never of my own free will would I ever cause you pain or death."

Will curled closer, knowing deep in his soul that Bran spoke the truth. "I know… But I was still frightened…"

Bran nodded in sympathy. "I don't blame you for being frightened. _Duw_, I would have had a seizure if I had a dream like that. Granted, you looked pretty close to one yourself."

"I felt like my heart was ripped out; if that's anything close to a seizure, then I know what it feels like to have one."

The strong arms around him tightened a fraction in response to that statement. Silence reigned again, but for those precious moments, Will felt safer than he ever had before in his life. But the Old One voice whispered sadly in the back of his mind.

'_Not of his own free will… But who knows what the Black Rider would make him do, now that he has somehow returned… The Pendragon is no more, and if you can't protect him, there is a strong chance that Bran will succumb.'_

'_No… I'll fight him to oblivion before I let that happen… The Rider will have to destroy me first before I ever let him have Bran,'_ Will thought with firm resolve. _'Even if Bran can't remember, will never remember, he is still my prince and my love; I will protect him, it is my duty to both him and to my heart.'_

Will realized he must have tensed, as he felt Bran rubbing firm circles into his back. The smaller teen melted in his arms, relaxing completely under the albino's soothing ministrations.

"Try to get some sleep, Will. Everyone will worry if you're exhausted in the morning."

While sleeping was the last thing Will wanted to do, he complied with Bran's wishes. He laid down again, Bran laying beside him and holding him as if Will was only a toddler. As Will feigned going to sleep, he couldn't help whispering.

"You'll be wonderful father someday…"

Bran smiled sadly as Will's breath evened out in the familiar pattern of sleep. "Hard to have children if I prefer my own gender. Besides, I'd probably traumatize my kids."

Will wanted to correct him, but couldn't as he was faking sleep. Once Bran was sleeping soundly, Will opened his eyes. But even with his eyes open, his dream continued to flash before him.

**(Dream Sequence)**

He was standing alone, watching himself from the outside, everything around him pitch black. A faint light outlined his form, but illuminated nothing of his surroundings. Suddenly, a menacing voice echoed around him.

"Everyone has darkness in their heart, little Sign-Seeker."

Fire, much like the flames on the mountain years ago, surrounded him. Both the dream Will and the real Will jumped in surprise. Dream Will cast several protective and dispelling spells, but the fires moved to within a foot of him without the slightest sign of hindrance. Will honestly couldn't help being unnerved by this, and was startled when images flashed around him.

_Milgwn_ flashed past him, just beyond the flames, before fading into the darkness. Images of a sword, that looked a bit familiar, appeared all around him, as if reflected by mirrors. The sword was incased in black and purple mist, which writhed around the blade like snakes. The images faded away, and a figure appeared just outside the flames in front of Dream Will. The figure looked like a mass of shadows, illuminated by the flames, but what captured Will's gaze and frightened him were the amber eyes the figure possessed.

'_Bran's eyes.'_

When the figure spoke with Bran's voice, its tone and words were coated with hate. "Rot for eternity, Old One."

Dream Will flinched back violently, not realizing someone had appeared behind him. The shadow figure vanished as Dream Will was wrapped in a vice grip by the new figure.

"He'll destroy you, Will. Come with me, and I'll keep you safe."

Will recognized that voice and Dream Will shouted. "I'll never come with you, Simon. NEVER!"

Light flashed and pulsated around him, before both it and most of the darkness vanished, leaving Will in a place he recognized. It was the sanctuary of his heart, which reflected the Welsh hills just beyond the _Clwyd_ farm. Every living person has a 'sanctuary of heart', but most people never find it or never realize that's where they are.

What startled Will was that, instead of the sunset he was used to seeing, the sky was dark with storm clouds and holes of darkness, lightning flashing in rapid succession. Portions of the hills were covered with a dark mist, tearing more holes into his heart and soul. Will looked around, and gasped as he saw the scene before him.

His dream form was chained by the wrists to an invisible wall by black mist, which seemed to be the only thing hold him semi-upright. He wore a white long-sleeved shirt covered by a dark blue, sleeveless tunic that fell to his mid-thigh, secured around the waist by a beech wood-colored belt. His form-fitting trousers were a stormy-blue, matching the image of a dragon on the front of his tunic and his own eyes. Soft-soled, leather boots, the same color as his belt, were his footwear, conforming to his leg and stopping just under his knees.

**(Aniyu: For a better mental picture, think of Aragorn's outfit during the battle of Helm's Deep in Lord of the Rings, just my colors and the dragon detail.)**

There were leather vembraces _(wrist and forearm guards)_ on his wrists, the same color as his belt, and a dark blue, hooded cloak fastened around his shoulders by a silver dragon pin to flow down to his ankles. Will recognized this form; Merriman had told him that those were the clothes he would wear when he finally passed into Avalon, as a symbol of his position as Bran's protector.

Standing in front of Dream Will with the mist-encased sword was Bran, his eyes burning with fire and the sword pointing at the helpless Dream Will. Bran was dressed like a prince, but in colors representing the Dark. His long-sleeved tunic was blood red, reaching to just below his hips and trimmed with a blue so pale it looked white; his form-fitting trousers were dark ebony, not the black he was prone to, as were his boots. A translucent, almost invisible, scabbard and belt was at his waist, likely spelled so mortals wouldn't see it while housing the sword.

**(Aniyu: Think of Legolas's outfit from when Aragorn was formally crowned king, again with my colors. Yes, I like the Lord of the Rings outfits.)**

Will was terrified by this Bran; something felt so wrong with this prince that he was scared just by seeing him. Bran stepped closer to the Dream Will, and that's when Will noticed something alarming.

His dream form was becoming transparent, fading away, as dark tendrils started to slid up his ankles from a pool beneath his feet; yet the rest of the scene was solid.

'…_I'm fading into oblivion… The Dark is destroying me from the inside out,'_ Will realized as his stomach churned, feeling sick with the thought.

The Dream Will looked up into Bran's eyes, sorrow the only emotion on his face. Bran spoke as he raised his sword high.

"You took away part of who I am, you and the Light; I was never truly given a choice, and you did nothing to help me. I think it's time your prince repaid you, tenfold."

The dream ended in a flash of light, Will screaming as the sword swung down at his dream form.

**(End Dream Sequence)**

Tears formed in Will's eyes as the dream kept flaring in his head, even while awake; the ominous feeling he'd had all afternoon grew inside him, and he knew something bad would happen soon.

'_Oh Merriman, I wish you were here. Then again, I wish for a lot of things. Please, Lords and Ladies of the High Magic, watch over Bran if I fail.'_

Seconds after thinking this, Will began to fall asleep against his will. He struggled for a moment, when a voice that sounded like the Lady chimed in his head.

'_Sleep, Little One. No more dreams will haunt you this night.'_

Before Will could question the voice, he had fallen into a dreamless sleep. Standing outside his closed door, concern in her eyes, was Gwen. She pulled her hand away from the middle of the door and walked back to her room.

'_That dream was not of Will's mind. I know he put protections on the house, so who put those images in his mind?'_

**(In the morning)**

Stephen was first to wake, as the sun decided to hit him first with its blinding rays. He groaned in annoyance, knowing it was still rather early without even looking at Will's alarm. Stephen got up, knowing he wasn't going to get back to sleep yet definitely wouldn't be able to function without his morning tea.

The eldest Stanton glanced over at the two sleeping in the bed and a soft smile graced his face. Will, his baby brother, was curled close to Bran with his head gently tucked beneath the albino's chin. His long hair was fanned over the pillow, a couple strands lying in front of his shoulder near the back of his jaw.

Bran had one arm tucked beneath his head on the pillow; the other one was wrapped firmly around Will, in a fiercely protective yet affectionate hold. Their blankets had slipped to their waists during the night, but apparently they had enough body warmth between them to not notice. The sight warmed Stephen's heart; he was still very protective of his brother, but he knew he could trust Bran to take care of Will.

Suddenly getting an idea, Stephen woke Barney and pointed at the pair once the boy was coherent. Barney grinned, quickly grabbing his sketchbook and a pencil from the top of his luggage. Once Barney was done, about thirty minutes later, and had hid the sketchbook, Stephen woke up the other two. Will took a little longer to wake, and when he did, he had the look of a sleepy kitten.

Seeing this, Barney grabbed his camera and snapped a photo, explaining when Bran sent him a questioning look.

"I know he isn't going to stay that way long enough for me to sketch that look, so I'll use the photo as a reference."

"And I'm getting a copy of that photo, right?" Barney and Stephen laughed as they nodded, while Will just looked confused.

"Did I miss something?" "Of course not, baby brother."

Will pouted before tossing his night shirt at Stephen and walking to his dresser. Everyone took the hint and got dressed themselves, Stephen and Barney still chuckling all the while.

Once they were ready for the day, Will pulled out four duffle bags and they packed for the trip to Max's house. It turned out that they were the first ones even up, never mind ready to leave. Gwen was up making breakfast, but everyone else was still sleeping. She greeted the four boys with a sunny smile.

"Morning boys. Glad to see I'm not the only one up, though I'm surprised that you're already packed."

Stephen was pouting. "The sun was being annoying, so I decided to share the misery."

Everyone laughed at him, before Gwen turned to Will.

"Honey, breakfast is nearly done. Could you wake everyone up?"

A sly smile appeared on Will's face; this was something he was going to enjoy. "Of course, Gwen. Be back in a moment."

Will raced upstairs flinging open every door, and jumping on all his siblings' beds; the commotion was enough to wake Mr. Stanton, so Will left his room alone. The youngest Stanton was back in the kitchen within three or four minutes, a Cheshire Cat grin on his face.

The other four were laughing merrily at all the noise they could hear coming from upstairs. This included James's shrieking.

"How can he have that much bloody energy this early in the morning?!?! I swear, he and Robin must be on constant sugar rushes!"

Robin's shouted reply was, "Aw, we know you love us, Jamsie!" "Do _not_ call me that!"

After several minutes, everyone was seated at the table. Robin and Will had played cat and mice with James the second he came downstairs, so now the second youngest Stanton was glaring at them over his fruit. Paul had an arm over his twin's shoulder, calmly sending James a warning to _'quit glaring or he was pulling rank'_.

About mid-way through breakfast, Jane let out a gasp. "Hey, there's snow outside!"

Everyone looked out the window at that. She was right; a three-inch blanket of white covered the ground, though the powder was not currently falling. Only Bran noticed how both Will and Gwen paled upon seeing the white fluff. Bran took Will's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, causing Will to give him a strained smile and a squeeze back. Between them, that meant an explanation would be given later.

After breakfast, everyone but Bran and Will went upstairs. Knowing that they had a few minutes, Bran pulled Will into the living room and gave him a questioning look. Will sighed a little before speaking.

"Before my eleventh birthday, I always used to wish for snow. But when I finally got my wish, bad things would happen when it snowed. Now I just wish it would stop coming; we technically don't get low enough temperatures for snow, so it just seems very unnatural for it to be falling here."

Bran nodded in understanding and the two of them sat on the floor near the fire place, where the residual warmth from yesterday's fire still lingered. Before long, everyone was divided between Stephen's car, Max's truck, and the family truck, driving to Max's home. Technically, it had belonged to Mr. Stanton's brother, but he had died and left the house in their care. Once there, Max assigned rooms; the Drew kids would bunk together, and Bran would share with Will and the twins.

Will and Stephen, with Max's permission, took the twins, Bran, and the Drew kids out to the stables to see the horses Max was taking care of with the help of one of his school friends. Jane, Barney, and Robin were all fascinated by a gleaming chestnut horse named Carmel. Paul and Stephen were pampering a sweet Palomino named Sunflower. Simon was watching a black horse named Thunder, interest glinting in his eyes. Will introduced Bran to a blue roan named Rowan, which constantly nuzzled Will for attention.

Knowing that Max wouldn't mind, Will saddled up Rowan and led him out of the stables, Bran following in wonder. Will hoisted himself into the saddle, noticing that the rest of the group was watching him.

Stephen called out with a smile, "How about you show your friends how to ride, Will?"

Will nodded and motioned for Bran to step back. Bran immediately went over to Stephen's side, watching Will intently. The cinnamon-haired teen leaned forward a little, whispering something to Rowan, who gave a horse-nod in reply. Will snapped the reigns sharply and Rowan started with a steady trot.

At the other end of the fenced corral, Will turned Rowan around and took a deep breath. While he was riding, he didn't notice the way Bran was suddenly looking beyond the corral with apprehension, nor the way Stephen was looking toward the sun in worry.

Bran thought he was loosing his mind, because he could have sworn he saw a _Milgwn_ beyond the fence. While he wasn't as scared of foxes as he had been years ago, they still made him nervous. Stephen was looking at the sun, because he had noticed a distinct rainbow ring around it. He remembered a Navy friend telling him that it was a bad omen, an omen of great distress. However, both looked back to Will when they heard the reigns snap twice.

Suddenly, Rowan was running across the corral at almost full speed. The group watched in awe as horse and rider flew past them toward the other end of the fence. Jane was worried.

"Can he stop in time?" "He isn't going to stop."

Everyone glanced at Stephen in shock before gluing their eyes to Will. All of them gasped when Rowan easily jumped the fence and ran once around the house before coming back to jump the fence again. Will slowed Rowan to a stop in front of the others and had him rear up to finish off the ride. Rowan did so, clearly enjoying all the attention he was getting.

Bran was gazing at Will with complete adoration, in awe of both his riding and the way he looked. Wind-swept bangs did nothing to hide stormy eyes sparkling with excitement, or the flush of his face from said excitement. He was wearing a dazzling smile while slightly panting, which made Bran feel like he'd been riding with him as his own breath caught.

Their eyes met and locked for a moment, before Will dismounted and the two of them led Rowan inside the stable. Stephen decided to bring Carmel out to give the others a chance to ride, letting Bran and Will have some time to themselves.

"You two were incredible, Will." Will blushed at the compliment, which Bran took as a _'thank you'_.

As the two gave Rowan a treat, sugar cubes and carrots, Bran thought to himself, _'You were more than incredible, you were breath-taking, more so than usual. And you looked more alive during that ride than I've seen you look in a long time.'_

Soon, a few of the Stanton siblings and the Drew kids went back to the family home to start on the preparations. It had silently been decided that Bran would stay with Will at the house while everything was being set up, so Bran wouldn't tell Will what was going on. The lack of people gave Will the chance to surreptitiously place protective spells on the house, while merely enjoying being in Bran's company.

Unfortunately, Will's morning was pretty much spoiled when he spotted the Rider again. The Rider was standing outside the corral, his black steed pawing the ground beside him. Will wanted to cast a spell at him, to force him away, but he knew he couldn't. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, for the moment Will looked away from the Rider, a voice echoed in his head.

'_Everyone has darkness in their heart, little Sign-Seeker.'_

TBC…

**Aniyu: Ah, another semi-long chapter done!**

**Will: Great, now go to sleep!**

**Aniyu: (pouting) Review responses first!**

**(Review Responses)**

**azure-lupis: **I'm glad you like my story and thank you for continuing to review! Hope these two chapters are just as good, and expect another one in the next couple days.

**Sleeping Soundly: **Thank you for your reviews and for watching out for grammatical errors.** (bows in gratitude) **Hope you like the new chapters!

**Bronzelynx: **Glad to know you like this, though I haven't heard from you recently. Enjoy the new chapters!

**Nala: **Yes, Bran/Will is a wonderful pairing. Thank you for reviewing!** (hugs)**

**ffyrestarr: **Thank you for pointing that out, I thought I had put 'mum'. I like the Welsh, so don't worry! Sheep-shagging, hmm….** (big grin) **Just kidding. Hope you enjoy!

**Angels-above: **Ah, one of my regulars!** (bows) **Thank you so much for your reviews! You're the first person to review chapter 7, so here's a present.** (huge cake with the words _'Thank You! Will/Bran Rocks!'_ on the top) **Enjoy!

**Brianna Jacobs: **I'm back! Sorry for the delay, my laptop crashed and I had to rewrite several chapters. Well, it wasn't a bookshelf, but I know hay bales are heavy! Thank you for the treats!** (passes you a huge amount of sweets and a remote with one button) **The remote let's you drop random things on whomever you wish. Have fun!

**LittleLinor: **Glad you like the twist. Please continue reading!

**naitodoragon: **Trust me, I will definitely keep writing. This story will be completed! Thanks for reviewing!

**Aniyu: Well, it's time for me to go to sleep. Enjoy the chapter and I'll have another one up either tomorrow or the day after. Bye for now! (falls asleep)**

**Will: Please R&R!**


	10. Dark Revelations

**Will: ANIYU!!**

**Anayi: Why are you yelling at my Light?**

**Aniyu: (innocent whistle) Oh, he just went and reread the last chapter I posted and figured out that I had him and Bran kiss.**

**Will: (blushing)**

**Anayi: That's all? I thought you and Bran wanted her to hurry up with the kiss?**

**Bran: We did. But we were too tired to realize she had written it.**

**Anayi: Well, that's your own fault. Do the disclaimer so she can type the chapter.**

**Bran: She does not own us, don't sue. **

**Aniyu: This is number three for my Spring Break set. If I'm lucky, I'll get a couple more chapters in before school starts again. Enjoy!**_ Warning! Slightly dark themes in this chapter!_

Chapter 9:

Dark Revelations

"_Everyone has darkness in their heart, little Sign-Seeker."_

Will froze upon hearing that sentence, his heart pounding and his mind reeling. The last Old One whipped back around, only to see that the Black Rider had vanished as if he'd never been there. The Old One inside him was on high alert, but tried to calm the human half of himself. Will was partially successful in calming down, though was now a lead weight in his gut, and he quickly went up to the room he was sharing with Bran and the twins.

'_The words from my dream… The Rider couldn't have put the dream in my head, and I would have sensed Simon come into my room, if he is consorting with the Dark… What is going on?'_

Lying back on the bed, which the twins insisted he and Bran would share, Will laid his left arm across his eyes. He wasn't sure how long he stayed like that, breathing deeply and keeping his senses open in case the Rider tried anything; but he snapped out of his trance-like state when he felt Bran's weight settle beside him. Will lifted his arm slightly to look Bran in the eyes before setting it back over his eyes.

"Tired already, Will?" "Yeah… Too much excitement in one morning."

Bran chuckled at that. "True, though I find it rather refreshing. To be honest, I don't think I've seen you look that active before."

Will smiled while his eyes were sad beneath his arm. "What can I say? I like being laid-back; it makes the idiots at school underestimate me." _'You have seen me that active. You just can't remember…'_

The albino raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh? Do tell."

The smaller teen removed his arm and propped himself up on his elbows. "Outside my music classes, I'm rather quiet and finish my work fast. I spend most of my time looking out the window since I always get done before the middle of class, and that apparently is reason enough for the local bullies to dislike me. Of course, for whatever reason, the teachers all adore me and that just irritates them even more."

Bran nodded with a smile, listening with interest. "So, about a week before we were let out on our Winter Break, the leader decides he wants to have a _'chat'_ with me. Basically, he and two of his lackeys cornered me during lunch and told me they didn't like my attitude and that if I didn't do all their homework for the year I'd be a blood carcass on the ground."

A scowl appeared on Bran's face, but Will held up a hand to keep him from speaking. "I told them that _'I'm afraid I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request'_, **(1)** which confused them enough that I was able to slip past to leave. That afternoon, they cornered me outside the school and demanded that I beg for forgiveness. I repeated my earlier statement, and added _'That means no'_ to it. Well, all of them tried to hit me, I dodged easily, and they ended up knocking each other unconscious."

A laugh came out of Bran. "How close were they?" "About a foot, so I moved rather quickly. They know it too, so I think they'll leave me alone for a little while longer."

The two of them sat in companionable silence, Bran absentmindedly reaching out to play with Will's ponytail. An amused light came into Will's eyes at Bran's habit. "I think you like playing with my hair more than I do."

"Now what gave you that idea?" was Bran reply. "Oh, the fact that you've played with it about three times this morning." "Well, it just sways there saying _'play with me'_, so I just bat it around."

Will started to get up, laughing softly as he winked at Bran. "I always knew you were half cat."

A mischievous twinkle entered Bran's eyes at that. "A cat, eh? Hm, then I guess it's only natural that I do _this_!" And without further warning, Bran pounced on Will to start a wrestling match on the floor. Laughter and playful shrieks filled the air, bringing a smile to Gwen's face, she and James being the only other people in the house.

James had gone outside to wait for Max to pick the two of them up, while Gwen went upstairs to watch the boys play. They finally stopped when they heard her laughing in the doorway.

"Careful you two, I don't think Max would appreciate a hole in his ceiling."

Will whistled innocently, laying on his stomach in the middle of the floor with Bran sitting on the back of his legs. Bran wore a similar expression of innocence, making Gwen laugh even more. The boys got up, Bran helping Will to stand, and turned to Gwen attentively as they heard a truck horn outside.

"Sounds like Max is here. James and I are going to the house. Keep this place in one piece you two."

"We will," both of them chimed in unison. Gwen shook her head fondly before going downstairs. "We'll be back soon! Bye!"

"Bye, Gwen," both of them called before going to the window to watch them leave. As the truck was driving away, they saw James look up at them and glare menacingly. Will was taken aback by his brother's glare while Bran looked confused.

"Will, did James glare at us like he wanted to hurt us?" "I think so… That's odd, I didn't think my wake up call had made him that angry. I'll apologize when they get back."

Inside, Will was extremely uneasy; James had never glared at anyone with that intensity before, and it worried Will.

Not knowing what else to do, they both took a book off the nearby shelf and settled down to read. Will was reading a compellation of Edgar Allen Poe's poetry**(2)** while Bran was reading a book of myths and legends, which Will remembered contained the legend of King Arthur with a pang of sorrow. It was about one in the afternoon when Bran got up and stretched.

"Where's the restroom?" "Two doors down on the right." " 'kay, back in a minute."

Will had barely heard the bathroom door close before he felt a sickening presence in the room. He jumped to his feet, looking right across the room in shock, for the Black Rider stood there. Confusion and a bit of panic swept through him, though his face was an emotionless mask.

'_How? How did he get past my protective spells? He would have had to be invited in by someone of the family, and I know I didn't…'_

Silence reigned for several minutes, neither hearing Bran open the bathroom door just down the hall.

Bran was getting a very bad feeling in his heart as he approached the room again, but he froze outside the door when he heard a stranger's voice inside.

"Sign-Seeker, we meet again." "How did you get in here, Black Rider? The barriers should have kept you out."

'_Sign-Seeker? Black Rider? What is going on here?'_

Bran peeked through the crack in the door, and saw Will standing across the room from a tall red-haired man in a light blue cloak. Chills ran up Bran's spine at the sight of the man, alarm bells going off in his head that said he knew this person.

'_That can't be right. I've never seen him before.'_

"Oh, you very well know that those spells are useless if I'm invited in." "Only by the family that owns the dwelling, and since I'm the only one of my family here, I know you weren't invited in."

A dark chuckle came from the Rider, making the hair on Bran's neck stand on end. "Oh, I was invited in the house earlier, before your two siblings left, and was told I could roam where ever I pleased."

Will's eyes narrowed. "Considering that my family would recognize you as a man who was announced dead three years ago, I doubt any of them let you in." _'Gwen would have panicked at the sight of him, she never liked Mitothin… Could James… No…'_

"It would seem that betrayal of family is rather common with your kin. I do believe James had a reason to not care if I was supposed to be dead."

Bran did not like where this conversation was going, and those alarm bells were still going off in his head.

"How did you escape your prison? You were cast outside of Time, you hold no sway over this world."

"As long as darkness resides in the hearts of living things, you cannot keep me locked away. I will always come back, even if my masters cannot." "That would only apply to the lesser minions, Rider. You would have needed…"

"To have been summoned by someone who knew of my existence. Which can only mean another betrayal." "Simon…"

Will's eyes had widened with realization, and that worried Bran. "Simon summoned you, he Remembers… and he must have influenced James…"

The Rider gave Will a mock bow. "As sharp as always, little Watcher. Yes, Simon's abilities allowed him to be unaffected by the _Memory_ enchantment; all he needed was the motivation. Jealousy and wrath can be very influential on what a person does."

Will's mind was working a mile a minute. _'Simon was angry that I rejected him… and if he was jealous, then he must know that I…'_

"While we're on the subject of the enchantment, how have you held up against being surrounded by those you'll have to leave behind? Even your precious _Pendragon_ will die while you live out your watch."

Bran was kneeling on the floor, holding his head as the alarms in his head grew louder. _'Why do I feel I should know what they're talking about?! Why does this sound so familiar?'_

"Well, unless he _destroys_ you first."

Will's eyes hardened, hiding the sudden fear he felt. "The dream… How did you--" "Simon volunteered to send a messenger." "James…"

A malicious smile appeared on the Rider's lips. "It seems he really does take after Mary and his mother." Will inwardly flinched; the hurt of losing family to the Dark was still raw in his heart, and Will didn't want to think about it.

"By the way, little Watcher, I have a surprise for you." From behind his back, the Rider pulled out a very familiar sword, causing Will's eyes to widen.

"It's not possible…" "Oh it's very possible, as King Arthur no longer needed it…"

Will tried to get a closer look at the blade, to see if it really was Arthur's sword, but the Rider kept moving it. It was very obvious that the Rider was up to something, but Will just couldn't figure out what.

"And what do you plan to do? I know you will not obey Simon's demands…"

"To take my revenge." Bran looked up at those words and saw the Rider starting to rush at Will with the sword. "Will!"

Bran leapt to his feet and intercepted the Rider, shocking Will out of the spell he was about to cast. The Rider was caught off guard and lost his balance as he stopped. This gave Bran the opportunity to wrench the sword away from his slack grip. Will, frightened for Bran's safety, shoved the Rider away and stood between the two, Bran at his back.

This is why he didn't notice that Bran had gone stock still the moment he took the sword.

No one moved or spoke for several minutes, before the Rider began to cackle and Will felt a sudden chill run up his spine, one not caused by the Rider. The teen gasped as he felt an arm lock around his waist in a vice grip and the sword, which Will could now tell was _not_ Eirias, slid into his line of sight before being placed at his throat.

'_It was a trick… But only the Rider, myself, and Bran are present… Bran…'_

"Bran," Will choked out, trying not to let the blade cut him.

"This is your end, little Sign-Seeker. I'll enjoy the sight of your corpse when I return." And with that, the Rider disappeared, cackling the whole time.

Will stayed frozen in his spot, sorrow and terror ripping through him. _'What should I do?! Oh Merriman, what do I do?!'_ He knew he needed to find his Bran, the good Bran; but to do that, he would need to go into Bran's sanctuary of heart. Memories from his dream made Will very reluctant to do that, so he tried to talk to his friend.

"Bran? Bran, please, say something…"

"Why did you take away my memories?"

The anger in his prince's voice made Will flinch, which caused him to hiss in pain as the blade nicked his neck. "Bran, I didn't take your memories… I didn't want you to forget…"

"Really? Then why did you let them give me an unfair choice? I could stay here and lose part of myself, or I could have left and lost part of myself, and either way, you would have been left behind. Why didn't you help me?"

Tears formed in Will's eyes, Bran's tone upsetting him greatly. "I couldn't, Bran. I hadn't even realized what my own fate was until Merriman told it to you. Merriman is my master, and he told me it had to be that way; I can't defy him, Bran. The masters of the Light can be crueler than those of the Dark."

"So you were afraid, too afraid to help me--" "No! I wanted to help you, but if I had tried, I likely would have been removed from the area or silence by a spell. You still would have had to make that choice, no matter what I did."

"Liar. Rot for eternity, Ol--"

Will knew he wouldn't be able to get through to him with words, nor could he bear to hear Bran finish that sentence; so he reached up and forced the blade away. Bran was surprised enough that his grip loosened, allowing Will to turn around. He whispered a spell as he turned, before leaning up and kissing the albino. Light pulsated around them, drawing them into Bran's sanctuary of heart.

Time stopped outside of the room, their bodies frozen in place with their eyes shut due to Will's spell. Only two figures moved, who had arrived too late to help, and would be forced to wait for the outcome of the inner battle. Merriman looked to his king in anguish, ashamed with himself for not realizing what was happening sooner. Arthur took his protector's hand, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Everything shall be fine, Merlion. Will won't give up on Bran, and Bran will not surrender to the Dark. The _Memory_ enchantment on my son will either wear off in the next few moments as we planned, or Will shall remove it, intentionally or not. Once that happens, the Dark's attempt to destroy them _will_ fail."

Merriman nodded. "That is true. But, I still worry. A few moments are equal to an hour or more within the heart."

Arthur continued to smile at him with confidence, though inside he understood Merriman's fear. _'Will must endure this battle long enough for Bran to regain the means to help him. Lady of the Light, give him strength.'_

**(Bran's Heart)**

Will opened his eyes once he knew the spell was completed, at little surprised by what he saw. Bran's heart reflected the Pleasant Lake, where the Sleepers were awakened and where the Golden Harp had been submerged. A thick fog obscured the lake, its hidden cave, and the jutting boulder where the Dark had planted a dead ewe so long ago to drive Pritchard further into rage.

'_Representing his memories of becoming the Pendragon,'_ Will realized sadly.

The rest of the forest and the low cliff over the lake were clearly visible. However, the sky was in chaos, a fierce lightning storm dominating the dawn sky Will caught glimpses of between the clouds. _'The darkness is trying to take over, but Bran won't give in without a fight, whether he understands what is happening or not.'_

Looking around, Will realized that Bran was no where in sight, not his Bran or the Dark Bran. _'Now I just need to_ find _Bran… But, where could he be?'_

"Lost, little Watchman?"

Will flinched at that voice, knowing exactly which Bran was near him. "You won't take over Bran, he will fight you off." Will turned around to look at the Dark Bran, not surprised to see the demon dressed in the clothes from his dream.

The demon grinned, cruelty gleaming in his eyes. "Ah, but how can he? I am part of him, so he can't get rid of me; and he _chose_ to become a mortal, so he has no power to drive me back. Now, I wonder whose fault _that_ is…"

That hurt, a lot, and the demon knew it, chuckling despite the emotionless mask Will had on. "There's no point in trying to hide your emotions here; your eyes are even easier to read here than they are on the Outside."

Will ignored the demon, he had more important things to do. Just as Will was about to search for his Bran, the demon rushed at him with the false Eirias, and Will just barely managed to put a shield up to block the on coming blow. Unfortunately, the shield wasn't strong enough to hold off the entire blow, and the force of it sent Will flying backwards a few feet. The demon took the opportunity to rush at him, slamming Will against a tree with the sword barely an inch away from slitting his throat.

The demon leaned close, the tip of his tongue tracing the pulse in Will's neck before whispering in his ear. "You know you can't win. If you try to attack me and miss, you'll harm your prince; and if you hit me, you harm Bran. All you can do is attempt to shield yourself, but you can't hold me off. Bran's already falling, giving into his darker feelings. He hates you, hates you for taking his life away."

Will, completely on instinct, shoved the demon away and threw a shield up to block the sword. While the shield vanished, Will dove into the trees, making it difficult for the demon to attack him.

'_Does Bran really hate me?... I won't know 'til I find him,'_ Will thought to himself with extreme sorrow.

"Frightened? You should be, since your prince is so angry with you. Poor little Will…" The demon followed Will slowly through the trees, hunting him as if he were prey.

Will, unsure where the demon was, barely ducked in time when the sword came slashing at his head. He ducked behind more trees, trying his hardest to ignore the demon's whisperings. All the while, Will kept his eyes open for a glimpse of his Bran, the real Bran, with no luck.

'_Bran, where are you? I _know_ you haven't succumbed, I can feel that… Please, I need your help!'_

The youngest Old One knew that one thing the demon said was true; Will could not go to offense spells while inside someone else's heart, as that could cause damage to the person and possibly kill them. So for what seemed like an hour, Will danced a dangerous waltz with the demon, the three steps being defend, hide, and retreat. It wasn't until Will was forced back into the open that he discovered the demon's underlying intention.

'_He's herding me away from the cliff over the lake… Bran!'_

Will knew he was an easy target while in the open, but he took the risk and dashed for the cliff. He quickly scaled the slope leading to the cliff, knowing the demon wasn't far behind.

TBC…

**Bran: Can I make a complaint?**

**Aniyu: I know, I know. Lots of Will!angst, but it's part of the plot.**

**Will: Can't we go back to torturing Simon instead?**

**Aniyu: (sheepish smile) Er, we kinda can't right now.**

**Bran: (demanding) Why not?!**

**Aniyu: (points at squished Simon) Brianna put her remote to good use. Besides, he's not in this part of the story.**

**Will: (pout)**

**Bran: (hugs Will)**

**Aniyu: (dodges flying fruit) I promise the next chapter will end happy, though it's no where near the end of the story. I'm also hoping to make it longer than this one.**

**Anayi: (grabs Aniyu) Please R&R! (runs from fruit)**

**(1)My favorite quote from Pirates of the Caribbean, couldn't help myself.**

**(2)I just reread "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe, it seems like something Will would read.**


	11. Return of the Dragon

**Aniyu: (peeks from behind shield) Here's the next chapter!**

**Merriman: I think you can come out, Miss Shadowraven.**

**Aniyu: Uh uh. I'm not coming out until the end of the chapter. (ducks behind shield)**

**Black Rider: (rolls eyes) How pathetic.**

**Bran: (growls) You hurt Will. (takes out personal remote and pushes button) Take this, bastard!**

**Black Rider: (squished by random tree) OUCH!**

**Bran: (rapidly pushes button) Heh heh.**

**Black Rider: (same tree lifts up and repeatedly hits him) Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!!!**

**Arthur: (shakes his head) Aniyu doesn't own us, otherwise we would all be insane.**

Chapter 10:

Return of the Dragon

Will made it to the cliff and was overjoyed to see Bran standing there, looking around in confusion.

"Bran!"

Bran whirled around, wonder and relief evident in his expression and tone. "Will!" The Welsh teen started forward, reaching out a hand toward Will. Suddenly, the demon reached the cliff and leapt after Will, his sword raised high with black mist lancing out from it. Horror filtered into Bran expression, and he let out a desperate cry.

"Will, behind you!"

Will, knowing what was wrong, whipped around while pulling up his right sleeve. On the underside of his forearm was half the Fire Sign, the burn scar Will had received on his eleventh birthday, and it was a blaze of red and gold. He transferred most of his energy into the scar and let it explode outward to form a shield around Bran and himself, one he hoped would protect them long enough for him to explain the situation to Bran.

The sword crashed against the shield, but the shield held-fast, allowing Will a breath of relief as he turned and ran to Bran. Bran was staring at the golden shield around them in shock, before turning to Will and checking him over.

"Are you hurt, Will?"

Will smiled weakly. "Physically, no. But, we've no time to worry about me. You need to listen to me Bran, no matter how impossible it sounds. All right?"

After a moment, Bran nodded. It was obvious that all that had happened since that stranger arrived had something to do with what Will couldn't tell him before. He knew Will must have his reasons; but he wanted to help him, and he couldn't do that without information. If Will was willing to talk, Bran would gladly listen.

"I know all this is strange, and you probably think you're going crazy; but this is very real. The man you saw earlier is known as the Black Rider; he had hounded me before, but I thought he was finally gone. The sword he was holding had a spell on it, and when you grabbed it, it activated. The spell brought out every negative emotion you've ever felt, every dark thought you've ever had, and it manifested into that look-alike."

Bran nodded to show he was following. "So it's, like a Dark me?"

"Yes. I don't know if you could see once it took over your voice and body, but it had held me captive with the sword at my throat while the Rider escaped."

Fire burned in Bran's eyes as he glared at the demon; he had seen that, heard the hurt in Will's voice, though he didn't understand what they had been talking about.

'_Yet, it felt like I should have understood what they were talking about. A choice… the Light… memories… All of it felt familiar.'_

"I knew I needed to find the real you, so I brought us here with a spell. I… I'm not exactly a normal human. This place is your 'sanctuary of heart', the place in your heart that reflects who you are or everything dear to you; it's different for every person. In this place, only you can fight off your darkness, because that's what that thing is. I can't fight him because it could damage or kill you, all I can do is shield us momentarily."

Again, Bran nodded, understanding where this was going. "I need to fight him off, to regain control of myself." Will nodded in reply. "But how?"

"Here, your emotions and… your memories are your strength. This is not my sanctuary, so I have to rely on my personal energy to shield us, but that shield won't last much longer, and it drains me to keep it up. I don't know if I'll be able to help you once it breaks. Whatever you do, don't listen to his words; they drain the drive to fight and will make you question yourself and those around you. He's already tried that on me, and… it almost worked."

The pure anguish in Will's voice made Bran draw him close, trying to shield him from his darkness. "I made you a promise, Will. Never of my own free will, would I ever harm you; I intend to keep that promise. I'll find a way to stop him, for both our sakes."

Will leaned into Bran's embrace, fear radiating throughout his frame. _'I know you will, Bran. But… would you still say that if you were the Pendragon?... Would you turn to the Dark, hate me, if you were to Remember?'_

The sudden shudder of the shield brought them back to what was happening, and they saw the demon pounding away at the golden barrier. Will quickly moved away from Bran's hold and held both arms out toward the shield, palms forward, trying to keep the shield from shattering. It was all for naught, as the demon's next strike destroyed the barrier. The strength of the blow threw Will away from Bran, causing the youngest Old One to slam into a tree before falling to the ground, stunned and holding his head.

"Will!" Bran started to run to his love, but the demon blocked him. Pure rage swept through Bran at seeing Will's assailant right in front of him and before he knew it, he was swinging at the demon as if he held a sword. When a sharp clang was heard, Bran realized that he _did_ have a sword.

In Bran's hand was the outline of a sword that looked very familiar to Bran; however, it was like a ghost, there but it did not look solid. _'I've seen this sword before, seen it as a physical sword. I've held it before… But how do I know this?!'_

The demon seemed surprised as well, for Bran was able to shove him out of the way and try to reach Will. Again, the demon moved to block him, clashing the swords together. The two of them pushed at each other, trying to overpower the other; all the while, a wicked smile was etched on the demon's face.

"Do you really think you can beat me, Bran? After all, I'm you."

Bran's eyes glittered with anger. "You're not me; you're not even a real being! You're just Dark feelings and thoughts, both of which I've overcome. If you were me, you would never have harmed Will!"

"What makes you think you wouldn't be hurting him, if you knew all those little secrets he has kept from you? He didn't even trust you enough to tell you of his _abnormality_."

The anger Bran felt toward this creature grew with every word spoken. "I won't force him into telling me something he isn't ready to tell. Don't you dare call him abnormal!"

They stepped back and swung at each other several times, metal clashing on crystal. Before long, both were pushing at each other again, and the demon spoke again.

"And what if his secrets all involve you?"

Bran's mind tried to puzzle out what the demon was talking about, giving his opponent an opening. The demon punched Bran in the gut, causing the teen to double over. The demon leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"You can mull over that, while I break your sweet Phoenix, Bran." The demon threw Bran back toward the cliff, far away from Will, who was trying to climb to his feet.

In an instant, the demon had Will by the throat, against the tree; which is why he didn't realize that Bran had landed on his feet, a distant look on his face.

'_Phoenix… I… I've called Will that before… When we were looking… for the sword…'**(1)**_

Images, memories flashed through his head; the fog in his sanctuary disappeared without a trace. He saw everything from the moment he met Merriman, to the moment his memories were locked away. Eirias solidified in his hand, and Bran gripped it tightly.

'_I… am the Pendragon…'_

**(Outside)**

Arthur and Merriman watched with relief as Eirias flew from Arthur's side into Bran's right hand, while his grip on the false Eirias loosened. Their relief turned to worry again, when they saw Will's body grow extremely pale; his body slackened, breaking the kiss the teens bodies were locked in with Bran's arms the only thing holding him upright.

Merriman's heart ached to reach out and help his student, the boy he saw as a son. Arthur, feeling his protector's pain, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, both to soothe and restrain him. _'Only Bran can help Will, and vice versa. We cannot interfere, my lion, no matter how much we wish to.'_

The first Old One nodded at his king, knowing they could do nothing; but he did nothing to hide the agony in his eyes, the worry for both teens. Arthur did his best to comfort him, sending a prayer to the Lady.

'_Watch over them, Lady of Light.'_

**(Bran's Heart)**

The demon didn't realize what was happening, didn't realize his mistake, until Will's sweater and jeans melded into the outfit from the dream. At first, the demon panicked; then he grinned, thinking of a way to at least destroy Will. He whispered delightedly in Will's ear.

"You're prince has returned, little Phoenix. Can you feel the anger he's giving off? Doesn't it feel _very_ familiar? Just like in your dream…"

Will couldn't hear the demon after that, because he was lost in Bran's anger. It crashed around him, aimless and wild; he couldn't tell who Bran was angry at, only that the demon was right. It was like his dream, and he knew what would happen next.

Satisfied that Will was too lost in the maelstrom to listen, the demon spoke aloud. "So, the Pendragon has returned… _far_ too late. I think it's time little Phoenix received his punishment."

Bran immediately understood what the demon had done, and surged to his feet from where he'd fallen to his knees. But it was too late; the demon had taken Will to his own heart in swirl of shadow. Fire blazed in Bran's eyes, and Eirias glowed with Bran's anger as he sliced open a pathway to follow them.

'_That bastard… He'll pay dearly for this…'_

The moment the path was fully open, Bran leapt through the door and ran forward. He could sense the turmoil of Will's heart, the agony and sorrow, and the Pendragon's anger grew.

**(Will's Heart)**

The scene in Will's heart was just like his dream: rips leading to oblivion, lightning dominating the sky, and black mist branching everywhere. The demon was giddy with pleasure at the sight, and he kissed Will's cheek as he bound him like he had been in the dream.

"Simply stunning, isn't it? Soon you'll be lost to Oblivion, a far worse prison than what the Dark was given. And do you feel that? Even here you can feel your Pendragon's fury, but you can't hear his thoughts, can you? Let me share them with you."

Will, not even realizing he was doing it, tilted his head up to look at the demon; his sorrow and hurt had made him hallow inside, and the Old One had no energy left to protect him. The demon put an angry façade on his face and raised the sword high, dark tendrils appearing beneath Will's fading form as he did so.

"You took away part of who I am, you and the Light; I was never truly given a choice, and you did nothing to help me. I think it's time your prince repaid you, tenfold."

The sword swung down at him, and Will let his unshed tears fall.

**(Outside)**

Merriman fell to his knees as he felt Will's pain, Arthur kneeling down beside him in concern. It was from there that they saw the dark tendrils slowly climbing Will's fading form. Fear encompassed them both as they realized what was happening. Merriman was about to reach out to the teen, when the tendrils suddenly stopped their ascent.

Now they were both confused, but also extremely hopeful. They breathed sighs of relief as the tendrils began to recede.

"Bran made it." Arthur nodded to Merriman with a smile. "Yes. He would not abandon Will, for any reason. After all, Will is his Phoenix."

**(Will's Heart)**

The dark blade's decent was halted with a clang, as Bran intercepted the killing strike with Eirias. The demon was so surprised, he couldn't react in time to stop Bran from throwing him several yards away. Bran immediately turned to Will, swiping Eirias at the dark pool beneath the teen's feet; this caused the tendrils to recede and Will's form to solidify a little.

The mostly catatonic teen looked up into Bran's eyes, barely registering the concern and caring in those amber eyes before fainting in exhaustion. Bran gently ran his fingertips along Will's cheek before turning to the demon. The demon was chuckling darkly at the Pendragon.

"As I said, Pendragon, you're too late. Soon, his sanctuary will be devoured, and your sweet Phoenix will fade into nothing."

"Not if I send you there in his place."

That was the only warning the demon received before Bran charged at him. They twisted, turned, slashed, and hacked at each other violently; Bran was barely injured by the time he finally stabbed the demon.

The demon stumbled back in shock, dropping his sword in the process, which disappeared on contact with the ground. Bran pointed Eirias at the demon's throat, more as sign of victory than a threat. Rage glittered in the demon's eyes, which looked like nothing when compared to the fury in Bran's amber orbs.

"You won't save your Phoenix, Pendragon. The Dark… will take him…"

"They can try, and they will fail. As long as I still breathe, I won't let you or the Dark take him away from me."

A weak cackle escaped the demon as he began to fade. "You chose the life of a mortal, Pendragon. Your memories will be locked away again, and your Phoenix knows it."

"Then you know nothing. If the High Magic truly wanted me to forget, the spell would not have worn off. Be gone, and bother us no more."

Bran stood tall, the commanding air that had been absent for three years wrapped around him once more, leaving no room for argument. Knowing it was defeated, the demon disappeared and Bran turned back to Will, barely catching him as the dark bonds vanished. The sanctuary slowly began to repair itself, the rips repairing and the mist dispersing; however, the sky was still clouded. Bran gently lowered Will to the grass, checking him carefully for injuries before trying to wake him up.

"Will… Will! My Phoenix, please wake up…"

Slowly, Will's eyes opened but were blank of expression, worrying Bran immensely. Unsure what to do, Bran tenderly ran his fingers through Will's hair as he tried to think of something, anything to bring Will out of this state.

'_C'mon Pendragon, think! This is Will, it shouldn't be hard to snap him out of it.'_

Still deep in thought, Bran didn't realize that Will could feel his emotions and was coming out of the catatonic state. The bond between them, that had been blocked upon Bran's memory loss, had been ripped open when the _Memory_ enchantment had ended. Will had been so overwhelmed by Bran's emotions that he had mentally shut down until the storm inside Bran had calmed.

"…My lord?..."

Bran jumped slightly at the soft voice, looking down to see Will awake and responding. Pure relief raced through Bran as he pulled the smaller teen into a hug. Will hadn't quite expected that response and was blushing slightly; but he wrapped his arms around Bran's shoulders, content to be held after that whole ordeal. The two of them sat in each others arms for what seemed like hours before Bran gently pushed Will back to look him in the eyes.

"Are you all right?"

Will immediately moved to a respectful kneel, bowing his head. "Yes, I am all right."

Smiling fondly, Bran stood and brushed his fingertips against Will's fringe. "I think I've told you before," Bran pulled Will to his feet; "you don't bow to me. You are my friend and protector, not a servant."

Will self-shamed eyes rose to meet Bran's. "I don't seem to be doing a very good job of protecting you; in fact, it seems you've been protecting _me_."

"Even protectors need to be protected, young Old One."

Both teens jumped about a foot in the air, turning to see Merriman and Arthur standing a few feet away with smiles on their faces.

"_Merriman!" "Father!"_

Will ran into Merriman's arms, happy to see his mentor after no contact for three years. Bran clasped hands with Arthur, overjoyed to see part of his family. Both men smiled at them and greeted them with no small amount of relief.

"My Watchman, it is good to see you safe. But I did mean what I said: you are the Pendragon's protector, but the two of you share a special bond; you need to protect each other."

Arthur nodded in agreement, as did Bran, making Will grin sheepishly. Merriman's face took on an apologetic look, his tone full of regret.

"I apologize for not arriving sooner. By the time we comprehended what the Rider was planning, events were already in motion."

Arthur also spoke apologetically. "We arrived too late, as you had been forced to take matters into your own hands."

A wince came from Will, and Bran wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I wasn't sure what to do except to find the real Bran. But I'm a little confused as to what the Black Rider hoped to gain from this."

Arthur scowled blackly at nothing. "He was hoping to destroy you, young Old One. And as an end result, he wanted Bran to either kill himself in grief or fall to the Dark. Thankfully, he did not realize that we had made it so the Memory enchantment on Bran would wear off."

Understanding dawned on Will's face as he registered that one statement. "You weren't going to leave me alone after all."

Merriman nodded. "The Light can be crueler than the Dark at times, but we are not so cruel as to leave our second Watchman here alone when the first was not alone."

Bran asked in confusion, "Then what did the verse mean? _'And one go alone'_?"

Both men sighed, sadness in their features. "We believe it was predicting Simon's fall to the Dark. But we did not see it until Simon had already fallen and the Rider came after you both."

A few moments passed in silence, allowing the four to collect their thoughts. Will was leaning against Bran, still drained from the encounter with the demon. Bran could sense his friend's exhaustion and wondered if he should ask if they could return to the outside world. Merriman, also sensing Will's exhaustion, was mentally reprimanding himself for not being quicker to come to his Watchman's aid. Arthur was using their bond to tell him to stop beating himself up.

"What will happen now, Merriman?"

Merriman looked to Will gravely. "The Rider will bring the Dark back, and we must be ready to fight. The laws of the High Magic were broken when Simon summoned the Rider, so they will aid us. I will approach Herne the Hunter, and Arthur will rally the Sleepers. We will deal with the Rider and his forces, but we must leave Simon to the two of you. We don't know what Simon has become, but dividing our forces in half would be suicidal on at least one front."

Bran and Will nodded, but Bran asked, "What should we do? We cannot outright attack him, not with the Stanton family and the rest of the Drew children present."

Arthur replied grimly, "You must wait for him to make the first move. In the meantime, you'll need to put protective spells on each individual so they won't be harmed."

Will asked sorrowfully, "What about James? I don't know if he is being possessed or if he fell like my mother and sister."

"If he is possessed, defeating Simon and the Rider should free him. If he has fallen… I'm afraid he will be locked away with the Dark," Merriman answered grimly, wishing he could spare Will from losing another family member to the Dark.

"But for now, we should return to the outside world. Time has been frozen while you were here, and we must begin our preparations. Though first you two need to eat and sleep." Arthur had deliberately changed the subject, not wanting the two Old Ones to feel anymore sorrow for the moment.

The oldest and youngest Old Ones nodded and cast the spell to return the four of them to their bodies.

TBC…

**Aniyu: Is it safe to come out? (peeks around shield)**

**Arthur: I believe so. Maybe you can get Bran to stop. (points at the Rider)**

**Black Rider: (still being hit with the tree) Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!!**

**Bran: (holding down the button) Mwahahahaha!**

**Aniyu: No way! Where's my ice cream? (grabs ice cream gift from Brianna)**

**Will: (slight pout) I've been trying to talk to him for the past several minutes and he's ignored me the whole time.**

**Anayi: Would you prefer he had his way with you?**

**Will: At least he wouldn't be ignoring me. (pouts)**

**Bran: (mischievous smile) Oh really? (grabs Will) We're borrowing your closet, Aniyu!**

**Will: (flustered) Wha? H-Hey wait a—(dragged into large closet)**

**Aniyu: Whaa?! Hey, I didn't get to install cameras in there yet! (pounds on the door)**

**Merriman: (shakes his head) You did that on purpose, didn't you Anayi?**

**Anayi: (innocent whistle) Why do say that? (holds down remote button)**

**Black Rider: (STILL being hit with the tree) This-OW-is-OW-unfair!!**

**Arthur: Please R&R. Things start to calm down when Aniyu has reviews.**

**(1) I decided Bran should call Will something, since Arthur calls Merriman "my lion".**


	12. Dark Intentions

**Aniyu: (cheering) I've got over 20 reviews!! Thank you everyone!!! (hugs all around)**

**Anayi: We'd like to give special thanks to Angels-above, Sleeping Soundly, Brianna Jacobs, and Elemental wings! Thanks for giving Aniyu so much encouragement!**

**Arthur: Has anyone seen Will and Bran?**

**Aniyu: (pouts) After they used my closet, they went and passed out in my room.**

**Simon: Wait a second, they used your closet?! For what?**

**Aniyu: (blinks) When did you get away from Brianna? Or did my reaper friend, Devannia, bring you back?**

**Simon: (frantic) Speak not those witches' names!**

**Anayi: (pushes button) Don't insult our reviewer and my best friend!**

**Simon: (flattened by bookcase) Ouch!!**

**Aniyu: Hey Brianna! You can come get him if you want! Meanwhile, everyone enjoy the next chapter! **_Warning dark themes in this chapter!_

(blah)** means telepathic speech.**

Chapter 11:

Dark Intentions

Time returned to normal in a flash of light, as the four returned to their bodies. Will, his body already slack from nearly fading into Oblivion, fell to his knees in utter exhaustion. Bran kneeled down with him, holding him so Will's head wouldn't hit the floor. The youngest Old One leaned against his prince's body in gratitude, blushing at their proximity to each other. Arthur was smiling at them fondly while Merriman quickly checked Will for any extreme injuries.

Upon finding nothing wrong, Merriman stood and firmly directed Will into bed. "You'll need to rest for several hours, my Watchman; this whole ordeal has drained your energy nearly dry. You will need to keep an eye on him, young Pendragon."

Bran nodded, carefully moving Will to the bed to tuck him in. He paused as he looked at Will's formal garments, before looking down at his own. He wore the same outfit as his doppelganger, only the tunic was evening blue with black trim; his trousers were also evening blue and his boots were black.

"Um, what should we do about our clothes?"

Merriman's eyes twinkled with amusement as he whispered a spell to return them to their jeans and shirts. Once Will was settled in, Bran turned to the other two, his countenance grim. "What should we do if Simon and James try something before Will has recovered?"

"Do not worry. There are allies among you that shall protect Will; don't draw attention to yourself by using any of your own powers," Arthur responded.

Will, though on the brink of sleep, asked in confusion, "Allies among us? Who? Jane and Barney have lost their memories and none of my family are Old Ones…"

"Sleep, Will. Everything shall become clear soon," was Merriman's response.

Will gave the slightest pout before succumbing to a desperately needed nap. Bran sat beside his secret love, gently brushing back the cinnamon-colored bangs. Both of the older men smiled at the tender sight, as bittersweet as it was. They knew the two boys had fallen deeply in love with each other, but neither teen had confessed their feelings yet. Quite frankly, the situation was driving them batty.

"My son, if Will's family asks about him, say that he wore himself out chasing the dogs. The less he is disturbed, the sooner he'll recover."

Bran nodded, waving farewell to the men as they vanished to begin their preparations. He watched Will's sleeping form for several minutes, fighting the temptation to take a nap himself.

Or maybe it was the temptation to lean over and kiss him, Bran wasn't entirely sure.

After awhile, Bran got up and locked the door before returning to the bed. He laid down beside his Phoenix, wrapping an arm around him and immersing himself in his memories.

'_So many memories in such a small amount of Time… To think, I chose to forget it all so I could stay with Will… so he wouldn't be alone… Yet I think he was even more alone with me here, oblivious to who I am… Who he is…'_

A sad smile graced Bran's face as Will curled closer to him. _'He was in so much pain… and I know it. He's showed me so many times, ever since I talked to him on the train platform… All that pain, it's obvious he was dieing inside.'_

As if sensing Bran's sadness, Will briefly pulled himself from sleep. "Bran? Are you all right?"

Inwardly cursing himself, Bran quickly reassured Will. "I'm fine, _boyo_. You need to go back to sleep."

A pout came to Will's face at that. "Bran, I can tell something's bothering you. Now, what's wrong?"

Bran sighed in defeat, knowing Will would keep himself wake until satisfied. "It's just… For the past three years, I've watched you practically die inside. You were facing an eternity alone, and I was so oblivious…"

Will's eyes softened, understanding what Bran was feeling. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Bran. I tried to hide it from you, but I just couldn't keep it all in. It's obvious now that I was never going to be completely alone, and for that I'm grateful. Don't let the past bother you, Bran; the past is something we just cannot change."

"I know; we have to concentrate on what is happening now. Such as you going back to sleep…"

Smiling, Will settled back down and went back to sleep with Bran's arms wrapped around him. Bran, making sure Will was asleep, brushed a gentle kiss to Will's cheek before falling asleep himself.

**(The Stanton Home)**

Gwen placed a hand over her heart the second Time started to flow again. She knew something had happened to the two at Max's home, but sensed that they were in one piece. She glanced over at Stephen, who was helping her with Barney's outfit for Will's party.

Stephen had stiffened almost unnoticeably, and was just barely starting to relax. It was apparent that he had sensed something happen to Will, which was no surprise to Gwen.

'_Those two always were the closest in the family,'_ Gwen thought to herself. "Hey, Stephen? Do you think Will and Bran are all right?"

A strained smile appeared on the eldest Stanton sibling's face. "Y-Yeah, I'm sure they're fine. After all, it's not even mid-afternoon yet."

'_Something's wrong… James has been acting strange since this morning and now it feels like Will's been hurt. What is going on?'_

Gwen could sense the turmoil in her older brother, and she rubbed his shoulders soothingly. _'The storm is nearly upon us, and the Dark has made its first move. I need to be prepared.'_

(Sister, did you sense that?)

Gwen went back to work as she replied to the message. (Yes, I did. The Dark is on the move again. We need to prepare for battle at anytime.)

(Will's already put protections on the houses, but not the people or the barn and stables. I can get the barn and some of our group, but…)

(I know. I'll take care of the rest of the group. Will can handle the stables since he's closest to them. Be careful with your spells, Robin; I sense ill tidings from James and Simon.)

(Don't worry. Max is keeping Simon, eh, _busy_. James is in the house with you. As soon as I'm done here, I'll go back to Max's house to watch Will and Bran.)

Gwen smiled to herself. (Good. Just don't pester them; Will seems to be resting right now. And don't tease them.)

(I know, I know. See you soon, Gwen.)

The eldest Stanton sister sensed Robin begin his spells, signaling the end of their conversation. She herself quietly wove a protective web around Stephen and Barney, noticing that Barney seemed to feel the magic a little.

'_Once a Seer, always a Seer; even if he will never regain his memories,'_ Gwen thought sadly before sending up a prayer. _'My Lady, please watch over Will until we can reveal ourselves to him.'_

**(The Barn)**

Robin, after placing a protective spell on the barn, chuckled as he watched Max pelt Simon with snowballs. Paul was standing beside his twin, shaking his head at Max's antics.

"I'm not sure why, but it seems as if Max feels strong animosity towards Simon."

Receiving a shrug from Robin, Paul turned to his twin with a critical eye. "_Does_ Max dislike Simon?"

"Possibly. Stephen doesn't seem to like Simon much either." _'Though considering Simon fell to the Dark, I certainly don't blame them for their feelings.'_

Silence stretched between the twins for a few moments before Paul spoke again. "This has something to do with what you told me about, right?"

Robin nodded; as twins, the two of them shared such a strong bond that Robin couldn't hide anything from Paul. So Robin had told Paul all about the Dark, and his connection to the Light.

"Yeah. We need to keep an eye on Simon. And I need to finish my protective spells; hold still a second."

Once Paul was protected, he went out to break up the snowball assault while Robin waited for Max to be sent over. Sure enough, Max came over to him per Paul's orders. The two of them set up the tables in the barn, Robin discreetly putting a protective spell over Max in the process. Once the tables were up, Robin made his announcement.

"I'm going to go check on Will and Bran. I'll be back later, so don't kill each other!"

His siblings smiled at him, while Simon glared at the ground. Robin gave out a hearty laugh before heading out to Max's truck, having already received the keys from Max. As he drove away, Robin saw Simon running across the yard in his rearview mirror. Max and Paul were both chasing him, wielding snowballs in both hands.

'_Well, that'll keep Simon out of everybody's hair for a while,'_ Robin thought with a grin.

**(Max's Home)**

Bran woke up when he heard knocking on the bedroom door. "W-Wha?"

"Hey Bran, open up! I need to get changed."

The albino obligingly opened the door to a smirking Robin, who took in Bran's sleepy face and Will's still sleeping form. Seeing the smirk, Bran gave the twin a wary look.

"What?"

Robin's smirk turned into a full blown grin. "Looks like you two had so much _fun_, you wore Will out."

Confusion crossed Bran's features. "Had so much fun? Wha--" Realization dawned in his mind and his eyes widened.

A laugh escaped Robin and Bran smacked the back of his head. "No we did not, you pervert. The dogs decided to take Will's scarf and play _'keep away'_. And quit laughing, you'll wake him up."

Rubbing his head, Robin quieted down to slight chuckles before grabbing a change of clothes. That's when Bran noticed that the twin's clothes were extremely damp. "What happened to you?"

"Max started a snowball fight, and I ended up tripping. I crashed into the tool shed, and all the snow on its roof practically buried me."

Bran gave a small laugh, and patted Robin on the back. "Smart, that…"

The Pendragon froze as he felt something odd from the twin, not hearing his response. Robin walked to the bathroom while Bran stared after him.

'_What… was that? That felt a bit like the Light's magic. But Will's the only Old One in his family…'_

He glanced at Will, curiosity bright on his face. _'Will's the last of the Old Ones… Is it possible that he isn't the last of the Light?'_

When Robin returned, dressed in dry jeans and a T-shirt, Bran turned to him. He stood tall, the Pendragon looking out from his eyes and Robin paused before him.

"Are you of the Light or the Dark?"

A placating smile appeared on Robin's lips as he responded. "I am of the Light, my lord Pendragon. I knew you'd figure it out."

Robin crossed over to his cot and sat down, looking at Bran grimly. "While I am not an Old One, I was born with dormant powers inside of me. When Will left for Cornwall, before he met you for the first time, I was approached by Merriman Lyon and the Lady. She awakened my dormant abilities, and told me of the war with the Dark. After the Midsummer's Eve battle, the Lady approached me with the task of acting as the Light's rear guard; basically I was one of the few who would remain on this Earth to help the Watcher with his task, though I could not reveal myself to him yet."

Bran asked, "Then, the Lady knew something was going to happen?"

"She had her suspicions. The Council of the High Magic agreed with her, which is why Will became the second Watchman. The rear guard is composed of a few people around the world, who will aid the Watcher in his task and will pass on with him into Avalon when his watch is over."

"And what of myself? Did the High Magic deliberately make the _Memory_ enchantment temporary?"

"Yes. As the heir of King Arthur, as the Pendragon, you were meant to someday pass into Avalon. To do that, you needed your memories; all you had to do was choose whether you wanted to pass on or live a life on Earth first. As you chose to remain on Earth, it was decided that if the Dark rose again, the enchantment would wear off. If nothing had happened by your twenty-first birthday, Merriman would have returned your memories and have you choose to either pass on or help the Watcher."

Bran let all that information turn in his head before asking, "What should we do, now that the Dark is mounting another attack?"

"For now, we prepare for a battle and set up protective spells. But right now we need to protect Will while he sleeps; you'll need to fill me in on what has happened so far."

The two of them conversed for a couple hours, Bran explaining everything that had been happening pertaining to the Dark since his arrival. Robin had liberally cursed Simon's existence by the end of their talk, making Bran laugh. Once they were finished, Robin went out to place some more spells before he would return to the Stanton home for a few hours.

Bran stayed with Will, completely ill at-ease with leaving him alone. He stood at the window, watching Robin cast a few spells and waving as the twin went to the truck. The albino returned to Will's side for another nap, and therefore didn't see Robin encounter the Black Rider.

Robin glared at the Rider as he appeared near the truck. "What the hell do you want, you bloody prick?"

"Now, now, there's no need to be crass. I merely wish to warm myself inside the house, if you would be so kind?"

Robin hissed in the language of the High Magic, "I wouldn't let you in any home that belongs to my family, not you and not any of your masters."

An ugly scowl crossed the Rider's face. "I see, so you are of the Light. Yet, why haven't you passed on with the rest of the Light?"

"That is no concern of yours. Know this, Black Rider: if you try to harm the Watcher and the Pendragon again, there will be nothing left of you to send outside of Time once the Light is through with you."

The Rider did not speak, only vanished with a glare fitting his title. Robin glanced at the house before getting in the truck.

'_Guard him well, Pendragon, the Rider roams these grounds.'_

**(The Stanton Home)**

Once they were finished with Barney's outfit, Gwen had shooed Stephen outside and searched the house for Barbara and Jane. As she went, she placed protective spells on her father and the two dogs in front of the fire, Raq and Ci. After corralling Barbara and Jane upstairs, the two older girls began working on Jane's outfit. Gwen had discreetly placed protective spells on them and was waiting for word from Robin as she worked.

(Gwen, I'm on my way back. Things are bit worse than we thought.)

Gwen winced inwardly, worry filling her to the brim. (What has happened?)

(I'll tell you everything when I get there. But I will say this, I just had a run in with the Black Rider.)

Robin explained what happened, and Gwen listened intently. (Then the Rider has not learned about the Rear Guard yet. Let us hope it stays that way.)

(Yeah. I suggest fortifying all the protective spells, there's no way to know if the Rider will attack again within the next few days and we need to be ready. I've already taken care of Max's home.)

(All right. Start on the house when you get here, I'll help once I'm done with Jane's outfit. Be careful, both Simon and James are rather angry for some reason.)

Robin replied with anger. (I know, and I'll explain why later. You be careful too, Gwen.)

(I will.)

**(The Barn)**

Stephen and Max were finishing up with the barn, in between glaring at Simon. Paul was watching them in amusement before going out to greet his twin. Robin quickly explained that he needed to strengthen the spells and needed Simon distracted. Once the spell on him was reinforced, Paul provided a distraction… by knocking Simon into the hay bales.

Robin quickly fortified his spells before helping Paul unbury Simon. Stephen and Max were too busy trying to disguise their laughs to help the twins. About an hour later, Gwen called for everyone to come inside to warm up before returning to Max's home for dinner.

**(Max's House)**

Will was first to wake up as he sensed his family approaching the house. He blushed brightly as he realized the position he had been sleeping in. Sometime during his nap, he had shifted so he was flush against Bran with their legs intertwined. Bran's arms were wrapped around Will's waist and back firmly, preventing any sort of escape. Will's hands had been against Bran's chest, but were now at his shoulders trying to wake him.

"Bran… Bran wake up!" "Wha-What? Oh…"

Bran, too, realized how compromising their positions were and quickly let Will loose with an apologetic look. Both of them got up and changed into more comfortable clothes before going downstairs. After a few minutes, the Stanton family and the Drew kids came in.

Mr. Stanton and Max were in charge of dinner that night, so everyone else lounged around, chatting until dinner was ready. Barney was begging Will to show him how to ride properly while most of the others watched on in amusement. Jane was quietly talking to Barbara and Bran about finishing Bran's outfit after dinner so he could stay with Will the next day. James and Simon were sitting in a corner, whispering to each other.

Soon, Max called everyone in for dinner, which flew by pretty quickly. Afterwards, Barbara and Jane pulled Bran up to the girls' room to finish his outfit while everyone else returned to the living room. Gwen was playing with Will's hair fondly while Robin teased him mercilessly, Paul shaking his head in amusement. Stephen and Max were entertaining Barney and Mr. Stanton with crazy stories, Max's from high school and Stephen's from the Navy.

No one noticed Simon and James leave the room to go outside.

Once Bran, Jane, and Barbara returned, everyone sang carols for an hour or so. During the festivities, Will noticed that Simon and James were missing. While he did not want to confront Simon yet, he needed to know if James was being possessed or not. So he quietly snuck away and out the front door, trying to sense where the two were.

Feeling that they were at the back of the house, Will silently made his way around and stopped by the corner as he heard voices.

"Why weren't Will and that freak killed, Simon?" Will recognized James's voice instantly, flinching at his tone.

"It seems that the freak figured out how to reverse the spell. As for Will, he can't die, not really." _'And there's Simon,'_ Will thought to himself.

"What gives them the right to be here?! They're the reason mum and Mary can never come home!"

"Sshh, calm yourself, James. We'll avenge them, but first we have to put Will in his place. You remember your part, right?"

"Of course."

There was a brief pause in which Will peeked around the corner, only to pull back quickly with wide eyes. Simon was slowly kissing James, their clothes mussed up, which confused and shocked Will to the core.

"Good. Best get back inside, before someone comes looking for us. I'll be in soon."

Will heard the back door open and close, signaling James's departure. Seconds later, Will felt the Rider appear beside Simon.

"Well Simon, I suppose you have everything under control here?"

"Yes. While I'll admit I didn't expect Bran to survive, it won't make a difference. Once this is all over, Will shall be mine and the Dark will control the world of Man."

"As we agreed. Though I must admit, I'm curious as to why you picked James to help you."

Will could imagine the smirk on Simon's face. "I'd met him a couple times while he was in college. The fool was putty in my hands after I shagged him once in a fit of frustration. I knew he was the most wounded by Mary and Mrs. Stanton's disappearance; so when he was helping me move my things last night I told him that Will and Bran were responsible for their absence. One quick shag later…"

"I see. Well done, Simon. At first I thought you had performed a possession on him; but this is much more intriguing. Until we meet again, Simon; I have the forces of the Light to deal with now."

Feeling the Rider's departure and hearing Simon go in the back door, Will collapsed to the ground. His mind was in shock while his gut churned sickeningly.

'…_James… By the High Magic, Simon's just using him… But, he's also not being possessed…'_

He didn't know how long he was sitting there, but it was Bran that found him. The albino was concerned the second he saw Will on the ground, and his worry increased once he could see Will's face clearly.

"Will, what is it? What's happened, my Phoenix?"

Tears poured out of Will as he wrapped his arms around Bran's shoulders, silent sobs wracking his body harshly. "It-It's James… He's fallen, and I don't know how to save him…"

Slowly, between sobs, Will told Bran what he overheard. Bran was torn; on one hand he wanted to go hunt down Simon and slaughter him for causing Will's pain, and on the other he wanted to go knock some sense into James so Will would be all right again. Instead, he gently cleared the tears from Will's face and looked him in the eyes.

"For now, there is nothing we can do until we speak to Merriman. We need to go back inside before anyone else comes out here. Come on…"

Bran pulled Will to his feet, but noticed how unsteady the smaller teen was. Muttering a quick apology, Bran scooped Will into his arms bridal style. Walking around to the front and stepping inside, Bran quickly got Robin's attention and motioned him over.

Robin immediately came over, quickly pulling the other two back outside. At the twin's inquiring look, Bran explained what happened, which confused Will. Robin looked sick, but he quickly led the two around to the back door and took them upstairs to the bedroom they shared. As they went past the bathroom, they heard very quiet moans and the shower going.

Tears pooled in Will's stormy eyes before his pressed his face to Bran's neck. Robin was about to barge in, but Bran nudged him and motioned to Will; Robin nodded and led them to the bedroom. Robin locked the door behind them while Bran set Will down on the bed.

Will looked at Robin with deep confusion, after Bran had tenderly brushed away his tears again. "W-Why have you not asked us about the Dark?"

A sigh escaped Robin. "Because I already know about the Dark, the Light, and the High Magic. I've known since you went to Cornwall for the first time, because the Lady and Merriman approached me during that time. You are the last Old One, Will; but you were not the last of the Light to come into your power. I, and a few others across the world, was born with dormant powers and the Lady awakened them. We few are the Rear Guard, left on this Earth to help you with your Watch until the time you are able to pass into Avalon; when that time comes, we will cross over with you."

Silence stretched between the three as Will digested what he had just heard. "S-So you're to watch alongside me?"

Robin nodded and recited everything he had told Bran, leaving Will speechless and looking at Bran with shock. Bran wrapped an arm around his shoulders, giving him a small squeeze of reassurance. Will put his head in his hands and muttered softly.

"This is too much to take in all at once."

Bran nodded. "I agree. Let's get some sleep, we'll discuss this tomorrow."

The other two nodded. Robin got up to unlock the door while the other two changed into night clothes. Will climbed into bed, barely acknowledging Bran's presence beside him before falling deeply asleep. Bran enfolded Will in his arms before going to sleep himself, trusting Robin to take care of any inquiries about them. Robin watched them with sad eyes, waiting on his cot for Paul to come up so he could lock the door.

(Robin, is everything all right?)

The twin flinched upon hearing Gwen's concerned voice. (No, it's not.)

He quickly explained what happened and felt absolute anguish from his elder sister. Now he really wanted to go beat the hell out of Simon for causing his family so much pain.

(I know you're upset, Gwen, I am too. But we'll have to wait until tomorrow to do anything.)

(You are right, Robin. Watch over Will.)

(Of course, though he probably does not need me with the Pendragon present.) He heard a small laugh from Gwen before they stopped speaking.

Paul came into the bedroom moments later and immediately sensed the tense air around his twin. He locked the door before walking over to Robin, asking what was wrong with his eyes. Robin gave him a brief overview, which was enough for Paul. He wrapped Robin in a comforting hug before insisting he go to bed.

"You need to sleep, Robin. At this point it's the only thing we can do."

"I know… Goodnight, Paul."

The twins went to sleep in their separate cots, hoping the dawn would answers, if not complete relief.

Gwen was the last to go upstairs, passing a damp James and Simon as she went. She wanted to scream at them, maybe even smack them; but she just couldn't, she could only pity the fact that they had fallen so far that they could never be saved. It was something she just did not have the heart to tell Robin or Will.

'_Goodbye, James… It seems, you are my brother no longer…'_

TBC…

**Aniyu: And that is the next chapter.**

**Merriman: That was, rather different for you.**

**Aniyu: Very much so, but thankfully Anayi helped me out. I don't really mean to torture Will, but I need this for the plot. Gomen!**

**Black Rider: Well, this is interesting.**

**Aniyu: (scowling) Who said you could get up? (holds down remote button)**

**Black Rider: (repeatedly smack with tree) Damn!! Ow!**

**Anayi: Please R&R, Aniyu really appreciates feedback.**


	13. Sweet Promises

**Aniyu: I have returned!! (big smile)**

**Will: (pouting) I'm being so abused.**

**Bran: (hugs) Poor cariad…**

**Anayi: (chuckles) Well, this chapter should cheer you guys up a little.**

**Will: Oh?**

**Aniyu: (rapid nod) Yep, by reviewer request, I'm making a fluffy chapter. Though , there's still going to be some angst, and the confessions won't be for another couple chapters…**

**Bran: (pouts)**

**Barney: Hey, has anyone seen Simon? I haven't heard from him in a month.**

**Anayi and Bran: (laughing hysterically)**

**Will: (guilty smile) Um, well…**

**Aniyu: Brianna's been having her fun with him. (shows pictures of squished and traumatized Simon)**

**Anayi and Bran: (laugh harder)**

**Barney: Oh… And the Black Rider?**

**Aniyu: (evil smile) He's having fun with Devannia. **

**(screaming in the background) Someone save me!!! (gagging noises)**

**Aniyu and Anayi: (evil chuckles) Hehehehe.**

**Devannia: (distant yell) Hey Anayi! Where's the diamond chain and shackles set?!**

**Anayi: (nonchalantly) In the back room beside the 'Blackmail' box!**

**Aniyu: Hey, Devi! Mind doing the disclaimer?!**

**Devannia: Sure! Aniyu doesn't own Dark is Rising or any songs mentioned in this fic!! You sue, and I'll be paying you a visit!**

**Aniyu: Much appreciated Devi! Now, on to the chapter!!**

Chapter 12

Sweet Promises

Bran awoke in the middle of the night, realizing that Will was no longer beside him. The Pendragon looked around and panicked when he saw that Will wasn't in the room. He leapt from the bed and quickly left the room, closing the door behind him. He checked the bathroom before going downstairs. After checking the downstairs area, Bran went outside and a snarl came to his face.

Not too far from the house, Will was standing across from the Black Rider.

The albino seemed to fly across to them and stood beside Will protectively. The Black Rider sneered at him while Will looked at him in curiosity. Bran glared daggers at the Rider, his eyes expressing just how badly he wished to maim the Dark figure.

"Ah, so nice of you to join us, Pendragon. Did you have a pleasant sleep?"

"Cut the bullshite, Rider. You're not welcome here, now leave," Bran growled.

The Rider grinned manically at them. "While you may be a prince, this is not your home to banish me from. And I doubt your little Watcher can push me out."

"You underestimate me, Rider. That stunt you pulled today made me far from happy and finding out that my brother is being used by you and Simon made it far worse."

Will's voice was soft and emotionless, but his stormy-blue eyes had turned to steel and expressed the cold fury he was feeling. His fists were clenched and a silver mist began to flow around his body. The Fire Sign scar on his arm, fully visible to the world, was blazing red with intangible flames lining it.

The grin slid off the Rider's face and he stared at Will calculatingly. Bran glanced at Will only once before returning his fierce gaze to the Rider. He knew Will was not fully recovered yet, and could not handle a confrontation right now. Bran prayed that the Rider fell for the powerful bluff.

Quite suddenly, the Rider leapt forward with an instantly materialized sword. Before Bran could draw Eirias, he was gently pushed out of the way by Will, carrying a sword of his own. The two blades gave a loud clang as they met, the Rider pressing down and Will holding him back solidly. This lasted for several seconds before Will let loose a burst of Light energy, forming a short gale wind that threw the Rider back.

The Rider clambered to his feet and considered Will for several minutes. The grin returned to his face. "Even when on the brink of collapse you can fight back. But I wonder what you'll do when you have to leave everyone you love?"

"I'll continue to love and guard them, no matter what happens," Will replied firmly.

"And he'll never be alone."

The two turned to Bran, who strode to Will's side and twined a hand with one of Will's. "Rest assured, Rider. I will be by Will's side for eternity, and nothing you do shall change that."

The raven boy's gaze was challenging, and it made the Rider snarl. Will smiled softly at his prince, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. Bran squeezed back, never breaking his glare towards the Rider.

"We shall see, Pendragon. We'll see if you can keep your pitiful promise," the Rider spat before disappearing.

Once the last of the Rider's presence had faded away, Will collapsed in exhaustion into Bran's arms. He gave a sheepish smile at Bran's pointed look. "I know, I should be resting and not fighting yet."

"What made you come out here? Aside from the bastard."

A tired chuckle escaped Will before he replied. "I had another nightmare… of being left behind, surrounded by feelings of malice and resentment from the people I love… I came out to sort out my thoughts and calm my nerves."

Bran cradled Will close, stroking a hand through cinnamon hair absentmindedly. The soothing motion made Will almost purr as he leaned further into his prince's touch. They stood in silence for several moments, the moonlight playing over them as the stars seemed to twinkle in contentment. Regardless of how serene the moment was, Will still felt so depressed due to the nightmare and the stress of the day. Almost unconsciously, the Sign Seeker began to hum a rather sad song to himself, thinking the lyrics in his head.

_I've been looking in the mirror_

_For so long,_

_That I've come to believe_

_My soul's on the other side,_

Wanting to remind Will of his presence, but unwilling to make the brunette stop humming, Bran gently turned him around and took up the lead for a slow dance.

_All the little pieces falling,_

_Shattered,_

_Shards of me, too sharp to put_

_Back together_

'_Or, that's how I used to feel. Perhaps I still feel that way a little,'_ Will thought to himself as he swayed with his prince.

_Too small to matter_

_But big enough to cut me into_

_So many little pieces_

_If I try to touch him_**(1)**

_And I bleed_

_I bleed_

_And I breathe_

_I breathe no more_

(You still breathe, my Phoenix. I won't let you stop.)

Will was startled, though the music never faltered as he softly sang the lyrics. The two continued to slowly sway and turn, entranced by the music and each other. _'Bran…'_

_I take a breath that I try to draw from_

_That spirit's mouth_

_And yet again he refuses to drink_

_Like a stubborn child_

_Lie to me, convince me_

_That I've been sick forever_

_And all of this will make sense_

_When I get better_

The two of them could practically hear the soft mix of piano and guitar swirling around them, twining with Will's gentle voice. Neither were aware of the small audience they had watching them.

_Though I know the difference_

_Between myself and my reflection_

_I just can't help but to wonder_

_Which of us do you love_

'_You, Will. I love you,'_ Bran thought, but couldn't force out.

If they weren't afraid to disturb the two, their audience would have groaned in frustration.

_So I bleed_

_I bleed_

_And I breathe_

_I breathe no_

The music swelled around them as Will laid his head against Bran's chest. The albino held his tired Phoenix a little firmer as the dance continued.

_Bleed_

_I bleed_

_And I breathe_

_I breathe_

The music slowed, and so did their movements. Will's voice quieted as he began to end the song and fall asleep.

_I bleed…_

_I breathe…no more_

The piano and guitar gradually faded away as they stopped and Will sank into sweet sleep. Bran let a soft smile touch his face; the song had been a little depressing, but it had been beautiful and had lulled his love into a peaceful rest. The raven boy carefully lifted Will into his arms bridal-style and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Sweet dreams, cariad." They returned to the house, as their audience looked on from different vantage points.

Gwen, Robin, Paul, and Stephen returned to bed with smiles on their faces, happy for their baby brother. Arthur and Merriman returned to their duties, hands intertwined and love in their eyes. The Lady and Guinevere watched over the boys until they were safely in bed.

"I am so happy for you, proud of you, my Bran. You and Will are wonderful for each other, and I look forward to the day that you both come to Avalon," Guinevere whispered with teary eyes only a mother could possess. The Lady nodded her agreement before they returned to Avalon.

**[The Next Morning**

"Everybody up! Breakfast is ready!!"

Gwen immediately jumped away from the staircase as she heard the tell-tale rumbling of a stampede. Most of her brothers and Barney came running down the stairs, tripping over themselves and each other. Will came down next, completely calm while looking a little sleepy, and blinked at the mass of limbs stuck in the kitchen door. He gently pushed one of the boys –He was pretty sure it was Robin- and the group fell in a heap.

Will gracefully stepped over and between the boys and took his place next to a chuckling Bran. The albino had woken up early and helped Gwen with breakfast, so he already had his and Will's plates filled with food. Gwen laughed at them as she went up to wake the rest of the house.

Barbara and Jane came down next, both looking mischievously at Will. Mr. Stanton entered with a merry laugh at the entourage on the floor, while James and Simon came in talking in low voices.

Breakfast was rather sedate, but things quickly became more interesting once everyone was done. Gwen, Jane, and Barbara all stood.

"Will dear, we need you to come upstairs. We have to finish your outfit," Barbara said with a sly smile.

Will looked at her in apprehensive confusion. _'Outfit? Why is she looking at me like that? The last time she and Gwen looked like that was James's sixteenth…'_

"Oh no…" Will's eyes widened with dread. "…It's my sixteenth birthday…"

"Yep! Now, you know it's a family tradition, so there's no point in fussing," Gwen chuckled out.

A groan was her only reply.

The girls dragged Will upstairs while several of the others chuckled at his look of despair. Stephen gave his baby brother a sympathetic look, having experienced the same torture. Bran looked both amused and curious, giving Stephen a questioning look.

While the two of them cleaned up, Stephen gave him an explanation. "It's something Dad's family did one year and has continued on. Apparently, during a dance on his eldest brother's sixteenth birthday, there had been more males than females present. Well, Chris, the birthday boy, volunteered to sit out but no one would let him. So, Granny Wren took his measurements and had him borrow a cousin's dress.**(2)**"

A laugh burst out from Bran. "Are you pullin' my leg?"

"Nope. The family decided to continue this, only every other sibling had to do it. Me and the twins were the _'lucky'_ ones, skipping Max and James."

"And that leaves Will," Bran deduced with a grin. "Right. But, the girls do a similar thing. Gwen dressed like a prince on her sixteenth; Mary would have too, had she been here."

Bran shook his head ruefully. "No wonder your sisters looked so happy. Poor Will." Stephen gave a sagely nod before the two boys burst out laughing.

Upstairs, Will gave out a sneeze and yelled downstairs. "Steve! Quit talking about me behind my back!!"

**[Two Hours Later**

"All right you two, make sure you behave and feed the horses while we're out," Gwen playfully reminded Bran and Will.

"We will," they chimed, arms linked together with innocent expressions. She and Max, who had been watching from a few feet away, chuckled before heading toward Max's truck. Once the two were out of sight, Will turned to Bran with a smile.

"Want to go for a ride?"

The perverted side of Bran's brain, which was born only recently, grinned and nodded. The logical and modest side smacked the pervert in the head with a 2x4. "Sure."

Will led the way to the stables and prepped Rowan for the ride. A fond smile came to Bran's face as he watched Will and Rowan interact. _'How cute…'_

After helping Bran up, Will led the horse to the corral gate and let them out. Once the gate was closed again, He swung up in front of the albino and urged Rowan toward the field at a steady walk.

Bran's arms were loose around Will's waist, while the cinnamon-haired teen leaned contently against his prince. They were quiet, happy to just be beside each other once more. Rowan, sensing his riders' feelings, barely made a sound as he walked toward the trail ahead.

As they entered the trail, Bran felt a sense of security envelope him. "What trail is this?"

"This is the Old Way, one of the safest places in existence. This is a trail the Dark cannot touch."

There was silence for several minutes, before Will began to hum. The gentle melody entranced the albino prince, even more so when Will began to sing in the Old Speech. After a moment, Bran recognized the melody as _'Scarborough Fair'_.

Will's soft voice flowed around him like water, pleasant and gentle. If it weren't for fear of falling, Bran would have been lulled to sleep. Almost too soon, Will ended the song and turned Rowan around to begin heading back.

"You still have a beautiful voice, Will."

A fiery blush appeared on Will's face, as he whispered a _'thank you'_. Bran smiled and hugged his friend tenderly. The horse whinnied, as if chuckling at Will sudden bout of shyness.

"I think Rowan's laughing at me," Will muttered.

A laugh escaped Bran as Rowan whinnied again.

**[After Lunch**

With Rowan put away and the horses fed, neither teen was sure how to pass the time. After several minutes of staring at the ceiling, Bran decided to start up a conversation.

"Stephen told me about the tradition of the sixteenth birthday this morning." That got a groan out of Will.

"Yeah. Now it's my turn to wear the dreaded dress." "Is it really all that bad?"

Will shrugged. "It depends. Stephen had to wear this Victorian styled dress to match the theme of the party. Lots of lace and a lot of purple in it. The dress looked nice, I suppose, but Stephen kept either tripping over it or having to push it down because it would fly up a bit when he spun."

Bran was trying not to laugh at the image in his head, but couldn't hold it in. After a moment, Bran asked, "What about the twins?"

A grin lit up on Will's face at the question. "Oh, that year was hilarious! The twins let our Uncle Nathaniel pick the theme. Well, he's Irish so he picked a traditional Irish theme. They ended up wearing dresses designed for Irish dancing girls, Paul was in blue and Robin was in red. Uncle had them learn a dance too and, well, you can imagine everyone's reaction when they had to wear lacy knickers."

Both teens were rolling with laughter at the images. It was a few minutes later that they were able to speak coherently.

"So, you're getting a medieval theme for your birthday." "Yes. Hopefully, I won't get in any embarrassing situations."

"Unlikely."

Both teens turned rapidly to see Simon and James standing behind them. The two of them cautiously climbed to their feet, unsure if James knew that they were aware of where his loyalties lay.

"Is something wrong, James? Do the others need something at the farm?"

"Don't play dumb, _brother_. You know exactly what's wrong," James spat, as if Will were filth.

"I'm afraid I don't follow," Will replied, putting a confused look on his face. Bran was following Will's example, looking as confused as possible.

A very malicious smile spread across James's face before he swung his left hand across his body sharply. Shadows flew at Will in the form of tiny, thin lightning bolts, leaving scratches on Will's skin and sending short jolts through his body. Will fell to his knees, looking at James in pure shock, and barely registering Bran's presence at his side.

(Are you all right, Will?) (I think so…But…James…he shouldn't be able to do that, unless…)

Simon spoke this time. "So, Will, what do you think? I've told James the truth, and it's safe to say he isn't fond of you and the freak anymore."

"Don't call him that!" Will's furious retort caught Simon a little off guard. The young Old One and the Pendragon were back on their feet, glaring at the two coldly.

"Why shouldn't he? You're both freaks as far as I'm concerned, you blood traitor! I know how you left Mom and Mary to their demise, how you were more concerned about your precious Prince than saving your family," James hissed with venom dripping off every word.

Bran burst out in fury, "The only traitors I see are you and Simon! First he betrays the Light, the side he fought for, simply because Will didn't reciprocate his feelings! And now you've joined the Dark after hearing only one side of the story--"

The verbal assault stopped when Will laid a hand on Bran's arm. (That's enough, my Prince.) "Nothing we say will change what they've done, my lord. I can sense how deeply they've fallen now, and at this point I don't think we can save either of them."

Only Bran could feel and hear the absolute anguish in Will's tone as he spoke those words, and it tore Bran to pieces. Thankfully, before any of them could speak again, Robin and Paul called out.

"Simon! James! Hurry up and grab those boxes!"

Upon hearing the twins' approaching, Will made sure he was standing behind Bran so they wouldn't see him healing all the scratches. Robin was first to enter, and he knew something was wrong the moment he saw Will standing behind Bran; he didn't even need to feel the left over sting of recently used Dark powers.

Paul also knew something was wrong, mostly because he sensed it through his twin. Feeling far less than pleasant toward Simon and James, Paul spoke icily.

"I suggest you two go wait outside. We'll grab the boxes."

James replied coldly, "It seems I was mistaken; we did get all the boxes earlier."

"Then go back to the truck."

Simon turned to go –shooting Will and Bran a nasty look as he went- but James bit out a retort. "Why are you giving me the cold treatment?!"

Paul happily shot back, "Because with the way you've been acting, you--"

"Paul, let it go." The twins turned to Will, who was looking at his feet. Paul knew better than to argue with Will; his youngest brother had enough on his shoulders already.

"Sorry Will…" "It's all right. Just…no more arguing, okay?"

With that, Simon and James went outside in a set of really black moods. Robin shook his head sadly, while his twin looked at him apologetically.

After a moment, Robin spoke with a serious tone. "I guess one of them used some of the Dark powers in here. The room reeks of it."

Will shot an alarmed look at him, glancing at Paul nervously. Paul smiled kindly. "It's all right Will, I know all about this. Well, as much as I could get out of Robin anyway. Twin thing, remember?"

Bran smiled mischievously while Will let out a relieved sigh. "Can't hide much from each other?"

Robin returned the grin. "Not from Paul, no. And don't worry, Will; you have more allies in your midst than you realize."

As the twins turned to go, Paul called out teasingly, "Have fun you two, but try to make sure you're dressed by the time we get back!"

Will blushed madly. "Paul!!" Bran was a little confused until he thought about it. "HEY!!"

Their only answers were a set of laughs.

Once the sounds of the truck leaving had faded, Will collapsed on the couch, a distant look on his face. Bran, knowing exactly what was on his _dewin's_ mind, gently flicked Will's nose to get his attention.

"Don't even think about it Will. If James wants to be daft and believe a pack of lies without hearing the other side of the story, that's his fault. You're not to blame for that, so don't start blaming yourself."

A weak smile came to Will's face. "I know you are right, Bran. It's just hard to accept that James has fallen…that I'm going to lose another family member."

Bran's eyes softened as he sat beside his Phoenix, wrapping him in a warm hug. Neither spoke for several moments, in which Bran contemplated a way to bring Will out of his melancholy state. Slowly, a sly smile came to Bran's face as he moved a hand near Will's neck.

Before gently sliding his fingertips down the back of Will's neck, causing the younger teen to jump away.

"Gah! Bran, that tickles!"

A look of understanding dawned on Will's face, seconds before Bran launched at him. The albino immediately began to attack his friend's sides. Will was laughing so hard, he could barely breathe, never mind retaliate.

(B-Bran!!…St-Stop!!) (Sorry, little Phoenix, but I'm having too much fun!)

The tickling continued until Will somehow managed to roll away. For revenge, Will grabbed Bran in a headlock, and slipped a chilly hand up the back of the albino's shirt.

"Hey! Your hand's cold!" "Your point?" Will's tone was sweet, sounding almost innocent.

Bran managed to get loose from the headlock and another bout of wrestling commenced. Several minutes later, the two were out of breath with wide smiles on their faces. Bran was atop Will, their foreheads touching tenderly. Oddly enough, they didn't realize how much of a compromising, yet sweet looking, position they were in.

**(Aniyu: Boys are oblivious…Audience: Aaaw.)**

Bran moved so he was kneeling beside Will as his friend sat up. Both were chuckling, feeling rather tired after their antics. Unable to muster up enough energy to go upstairs, Will crawled over to the space in front of the fireplace and collapsed. Bran joined him, curling around him almost protectively.

Satisfied that he was comfortable, Will dosed off into a light slumber. Bran smiled at Will tenderly as he played with the long cinnamon hair in front of him.

'He's just too adorable. My sweet Phoenix…I'll share how I feel about you, the night of your birthday…'

The albino prince pressed a gentle kiss against Will's cheek before settling down into sleep himself.

'Sweet dreams, Phoenix.'

**[Six Hours Later**

Stephen didn't know what he was expecting when he entered the living room, but the sight that greeted him was a nice surprise.

The scene was just like the one he had woken up to the other night. However, this time the two boys were laying in front of the fireplace, fully clothed. It was enough to make anyone start cooing at the cute sight.

"They're so adorable, aren't they?"

The eldest Stanton sibling turned to Gwen with a smile. "Yeah, they are."

The twins peeked between their oldest siblings and grinned at the sight. Robin bounced forward with a camera, speaking after he'd taken a snapshot. "As cute as this is, they're going to miss dinner if they don't get up."

And with that, Robin promptly grabbed a nearby pillow and dropped it on the two teens' heads.

"Up you get! Dinner's going to be ready soon!"

Both boys sat up, startled. Will was still sleepy-eyed but Bran was awake enough to throw the pillow back at Robin.

"Bloody _Sais-bach_…," Bran muttered as he and Will climbed to their feet.

Will chuckled at Bran, causing the albino to pout, while the other four shook their heads in amusement.

Everyone sat in the living room while Barbara and Jane went to fix dinner. Bran and Will had to suffer through being teased by the twins and Barney, while most of the others laughed. Simon and James stayed off to the side, occasionally glaring at the two centers of attention.

After dinner, Mr. Stanton made a reminder. "Make sure all of you pack up in the morning. The other guests will be staying here, so we need to make sure we're cleared out by noon tomorrow."

Once everyone nodded, he shooed the girls and Will upstairs, before turning to the males.

"All right, we're going to decide who'll be Will's partner for the main event."

Mr. Stanton held out a paper bag. "Now I've made this very simple. There's one blue scrap of paper in here and eight scraps of white paper. The person who gets the blue scrap is Will's partner."

Max went first, praying he didn't get the blue piece. _'Not the blue piece…Not the blue piece…Yes!'_

Mr. Stanton, Max, the twins, James, and Barney all drew white pieces. Lightning bolts seemed to shoot between Simon and Bran as Stephen drew a white piece. Tension was thick in the air as Bran put his hand in next.

'_Get the blue piece…Get the blue piece…'_ That was the mantra running through most of their minds.

Simon nearly set the bag and Bran on fire when a triumphant smirk graced the albino's face. Bran had gotten the blue piece. Several of the others congratulated Bran, while James and Simon left the room.

Outside, the Lady disappeared to Avalon, whistling innocently.

**(Aniyu: Like you really expected anything else.)**

The boys were sent to bed, Mr. Stanton chuckling as they all dashed upstairs. Bran couldn't wipe the smirk off his face, even when he and the twins got to the room they were sharing with Will.

"You okay, Bran? You look like the cat who outsmarted the dog."

Robin burst out laughing at that, while Paul and Bran had very satisfied smiles on their faces. Will was confused to the point that you could envision question marks appearing over his head.

"Let's just say that Bran gained another victory over Simon, and quite enjoyed rubbing it in his face," Robin explained once he stopped laughing.

Will held up both of his hands in a sign of defeat. "In that case I'll let you guys gloat. I'm tired."

The four changed into their night clothes and Paul locked the door. Once they were settled in bed, Paul voiced his concerns.

"Will, I think Simon may try something tomorrow."

Will shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe Simon and James will attack, but perhaps the Dark itself will strike. Either way, we must be prepared. I'll need you, Robin, to inform the rest of the Rear Guard to keep their eyes open. I might have a hard time fighting since I'll be in a dress."

Robin laughed at that image while Bran wrapped his arms around Will protectively. Paul got the hint that the two would be speaking to each other privately, so he gently knocked Robin in the back of the head.

"Go to sleep. Knowing you, I'll end up waking you after breakfast again as is."

Robin pouted, but did as he was told. Once Bran was sure the two were asleep, he spoke to Will.

(I don't want you to fight; stay back and shield everyone.)

Will smiled, knowing he would say something like that. (I will not stand aside and watch my companions get hurt. It's obvious the Dark is unaware of the Rear Guard, so they will be after the two of us. If I come out and fight them directly, the Dark will have less of a chance to harm any innocent bystanders.)

The arms around him tightened a bit, and a fierce look came to Bran's eyes. (I won't let them harm you. You been through enough as it is.)

Bran's amber eyes blazed like twin fires to Will, and they captivated him. He found it endearing that Bran kept trying to protect him.

(I appreciate that you're trying to protect me, but remember what Merriman said? We have to protect each other. Don't expect me to sit back and let you fight for your life. It's hard enough to accept that I'm going to lose another sibling to the Dark, but I won't lose anyone else that's precious to me too.)

Hearing the sadness behind the words, Bran cradled Will as close as possible. The Pendragon wished he could just tell the Dark to bugger off and that would be the end of it. But he knew nothing was ever that easy.

(Listen to me, my Phoenix. I made you a promise that I would never leave your side. Now I make you another promise; I will do everything I can to ensure that you won't lose anyone else to the Dark.)

Tears sprang to Will's eyes, touched by the promises made to him. He tucked his head beneath Bran's chin and clutched him close.

(I'll be forever grateful that I was bonded to such a great person, a wonderful lord. You're always good to me, and you don't have to be.)

'_Maybe that's why I fell in love with you,'_ Will thought to himself.

(Why wouldn't I be good to you? You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I never want to lose that feeling again.)

The youngest Old One knew he was referring to the _Memory Enchantment_. (I'm so sorry I couldn't help you, then.)

(Don't be. It wasn't your fault, and there was nothing you could do. Besides, Merriman and Father told us that it wasn't permanent in the first place. That's behind us now, so we need to look to the future.)

Will nodded before yawning widely. Bran chuckled and stroked Will's cinnamon hair, which was loose and fanned out.

(Sleep my Phoenix. I'll see you in the morning.) (Goodnight, my lord.)

Within moments, Will was deeply asleep and Bran wasn't far behind.

TBC…

**Aniyu: There you go! Fluffiness throughout the chapter. And hopefully some humor.**

**Will: What was with the songs?**

**Anayi: You're a singer, aren't you? Plus hikari-chan's been listening to those songs lately.**

**Bran: You know, I have to say this is your longest chapter yet.**

**Aniyu: Cool! And now for some news. **The reason this chapter was delayed was because I was in the UK for a month with a student ambassador delegation. Fun!!! For those of you who have been patient, thank you!

**Anayi: In other news, we've found out something rather great.**

**Aniyu and Anayi: (cheering) A ****Dark is Rising**** movie is coming out on October 5****th****!! (jumps around like morons)**

**Will: Really? That's…unexpected.**

**Bran: (growling) If it gets screwed over like ****Blood and Chocolate**** did, I'm going to be pissed.**

**Aniyu: Well said! Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed! R&R please!!**

**(1) The song actually says 'her', but neither of them are girls.**

**(2) This is something my mom's side of the family does, which gave me the overall idea for the fic. Strange, yes, but quite hilarious to see in person.**


	14. Visions of Light and Dark

**Aniyu: (sheepish smile) I'm back again. Sorry for the delay.**

**Bran: What took you so long?**

**Aniyu: Lots of things. School, packing, working on art, distracted by other writings, moving, graduation, job hunting… But I'm back to hopefully get on the road to finishing this.**

**Anayi: Any warnings for this chapter?**

**Aniyu: Yeah, it will be similar to a previous chapter due to a dream insert; only this time it's Bran's turn. Okay, who wants to do the disclaimer this time?**

**Gwen: Aniyu does not own The Dark is Rising Sequence, so please do not sue.**

**Aniyu and Anayi: Enjoy!**

Chapter 13:

Visions of Light and Dark

Will awoke very suddenly a few hours after going to sleep, sensing that Bran's mind was in great distress. The albino's face was contorted in what appeared to be pain in Will's eyes, and the grip he held on the young Old One grew tighter with each passing moment.

(Bran, wake up… It's only a dream, my prince; please wake up! Bran!)

He wasn't sure if it was the inflection of pain in his tone or his mental call that woke him, but Bran snapped awake and reached for Eirias. Will's hand grabbed his before the sword could be drawn and intertwined their fingers.

(Calm down, there's no need to draw Eirias… What happened, what did you see, Bran?)

The Pendragon was silent for several moments before he sighed deeply, his fingers stroking his love's hand. (I'm sorry my Phoenix; I did not mean to harm or frighten you. It was nothing of the Dark, just my paranoia overwhelming my mind.) _'I cannot tell you…not until I can truly determine what caused it.'_

The worry did not leave Will's eyes, but he decided not to push the issue. (If you're sure…)

Bran hugged Will close, so as not to see those worried stormy-blue eyes. (I am. Let's get back to sleep, okay?)

Will nodded, lying back down and blushing when Bran pulled him closer than before. However, feeling that Bran needed the contact, Will said nothing and slowly returned to sleep. Before succumbing, Will whispered one thing.

"If you need to talk, you know I'll listen."

Bran threaded his fingers through Will's cinnamon hair, admiring it again as he quietly sighed. _'I know, my Phoenix. But, regardless of what caused it, if what I saw is true, I must keep you safe. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you.'_

As he played with Will's hair, the dream replayed in his mind like a broken record. And to think, it had started so pleasantly…

**(Dream Sequence)**

Bran, like Will, was watching the events play out like a movie. Dream Bran was standing just outside the Stanton barn - Which was resounding with laughter and music. -, wearing the outfit the girls had made for him. He had to wonder if they had ever seen Camelot, for his clothes resembled that of the Roundtable Knights' casual wear.

**(Aniyu: For those of you who saw the Disney movie Quest for Camelot, that's what I based his outfit on.)**

His trousers and long-sleeved turtleneck were silver, much like Cafall's eyes once were. Over that was an emerald green long tunic, ending just above his knees, with loose sleeves that fell to his elbows. The tunic was trimmed in a deep forest green with silver runes. His belt and soft leather, mid-calf tie up boots were a light brown color, almost matching his amber eyes.

Dream Bran leaned against the door with his arms crossed, looking out with a blank expression. Dream Will practically floating to Dream Bran's side caught both Bran's attentions.

"What's wrong, Bran? Have you sensed something?"

Bran and Dream Bran looked over him with awe. He wore a white conforming, long sleeved dress; the round neckline dipped just below his collarbone, and the dress cascaded loosely from his hips to his ankles, leaving his white, soft leather tie up boots visible. Over the dress was a sheer, web-like silver material that fell just below the hem of the white dress, and the loose sleeves fell to his elbows.

He truly looked ethereal in that dress, and almost looked as though he were a bride about to be married off.

"It's more what I'm not sensing that worries me." Dream Will nodded in agreement. "I feel the same, but if we dwell on it too long the party will notice. Join me for a dance?"

Dream Bran chuckled as Dream Will gave him a mock curtsy. "Certainly."

Bran watched as the two danced a jaunty waltz in the doorway of the barn, before a wave of shadow engulfed them. The writhing tendrils ripped the dancers away from each other, their mist-like movements reminding Bran of the fake Eirias. Dream Will vanished, leaving Dream Bran searching for him desperately.

"Will! Will, where are you?! Answer me, my Phoenix, please!"

"Your Phoenix? Don't make me laugh." Flames of piercing red color surrounded him in a tight barrier, threatening to incinerate him. Dream Bran looked around warily, drawing out Eirias out of instinct.

"Will's nothing to you; you abandoned him so you could be mortal, and you've allowed him to be harmed time and time again, twice by your own hand. "

Dream Bran snarled. "Will means everything to me! I stayed hoping that I could be with him! I have never wanted to harm him, nor have I ever willfully done so!"

_Milgwn_ appeared near the flames, gnashing their teeth with anticipation. The flames themselves drew closer to Dream Bran, who narrowed his eyes at the darkness.

"Oh, but you will cause him more pain. Though your memories have returned to you, your immortality has not; the High Magic has yet to give it back to you, and when you die, the Sign Seeker, the purest and youngest of the Light will break. And then, he shall fall to the Dark."

"Never!" Both Bran and his dream form screamed out, and white light flashed around him.

When the light cleared, Bran saw he was standing in a grove near the Old Way. Dream Bran was not within his line of sight, but Dream Will was. He was standing with his sword Silverlode in a defensive stance as the Rider swung the fake Eirias down at him. What Dream Will couldn't see was James coming up behind him with a cruel looking blade the color of blood.

**(End Dream Sequence)**

Shivers ran through Bran as the dream continued to flash in his head. _'I have to keep him safe, no matter what.'_

"Bran, you should try to sleep."

The albino looked over at Robin, who sat up on his cot to look Bran in the eyes. "You'll cause everyone, especially Will, to worry if you don't get some sleep. That, and you'll need a lot of energy to get through a Stanton sixteenth birthday."

Bran chuckled tiredly. "I can imagine… I know I need to sleep, but the dream I just had keeps replaying in my head."

"You're worried about what it means for the future," Robin stated. At Bran's nod, Robin sighed and gave him a smile. "Don't let it bother you; for all we know it's a ploy from the Rider to frighten you. We'll deal with whatever comes when it comes, and not before then. Everything will be fine."

An almost frantic look came to Bran eyes. "How can you be so calm? Anything could happen tomorrow…"

Robin gave him a soft smile. "Because you know what I see in my dreams? I see you and Will standing in a sunlit grove with smiles on your faces. As cliché as it sounds, flowers are showering around you both and the Lady stands in front of you, binding your left hands together. On your left hand ring fingers are matching silver rings."

The amber-eyed teen gazed at Robin in shock, a light blush on his face. "You mean…?"

"Yeah, you and Will have a great future to look forward to. So quit worrying, and get some sleep."

Bran looked down at Will, smiling at how peaceful he looked, before settling down beside him. "By the way, you might want to hurry up and tell him you love him. I'm afraid it's a prerequisite for marriage."

The older teen squawked as he was hit by a spare pillow and fell off his cot. "Bloody _Sais-Bach_…"

Ignoring the indignant Robin, Bran fell into a deep sleep, happier dreams filling his head. Robin pouted a bit before climbing back into bed with a smile. Neither noticed how Will's eyes opened and stared at Bran's chest in shock, a bright flush appearing on his cheeks.

'_Bran…my prince…loves me?'_

He waited several minutes to make sure Bran and Robin were both asleep, before he carefully slipped out of bed and went to sit by the window. Will gazed up at the stars in contemplation, concentrating especially on Lyra and Leo.

'_I guess I've always known he loved me in a way… After all I was born and bred to be his protector and companion… But…I never thought he would return the love I feel for him… Or does he feel obligated to love me because of our bond?'_

"So, you know about his feelings for you?"

Will turned to see Paul slip out of bed and join him at the window. The cinnamon-haired teen sighed sadly, observing the stars again.

"I heard what Robin teased him with, and his response… But I have to wonder… I knew I loved him before I ever realized he was the Pendragon, before I knew of how we were bonded… But does he love me because of obligation, of the bond? Or does he really return my feelings for him?"

Seeing tears gather in his youngest sibling's eyes, Paul pulled Will to him and cradled him close like he did when Will was very small and Stephen wasn't home.

"I think you're worrying too much; so much is happening that you're stressing yourself far more than is necessary. Now think; didn't you see how Bran was always concerned for you, and how he just seemed so much happier beside you? And that was before he regained his memories; now it's almost as if he'd lose his sanity if you are not near."

A deep blush bloomed on Will's face. "Well, yes…but I was positive he only saw me as a brother before he regained his memories…"

Paul sighed. "You thought that because you were so convinced he wouldn't return your feelings. But, trust me, everyone could and can see how much the two of you care for each other, how much you pine for each other. And unless I'm mistaken, Stephen's already given Bran his blessing to marry you."

Stormy blue eyes widened at that. "He did…?" "Yeah, after you and Bran had that first confrontation with Simon. Bran truly does love you for you, Will, and you seem to be the only person who can't see that."

The softest smile Paul had ever seen came to Will's face before he looked worried again. "Then, what should I do? It's hardly fair that I know his feelings and he doesn't know mine."

The elder teen chuckled at that. "Be natural; let him tell you first, and make sure he knows you return his feelings. Don't worry; everything's going to be fine. Now, you need to get some sleep, so get to bed before Bran wakes up wondering where you are."

Will hugged his brother tightly, a few tears escaping him. "Thank you, Paul. Good night, big brother." After receiving a hug in return, Will returned to bed, slipping back into Bran's arms and falling asleep with a content smile.

The musician of the twins sighed and crawled into bed beside Robin, who had woken up during the latter half of the conversation. "What's wrong, Paul?"

"It's hard to see him in pain; he's our brother, our youngest brother, and he has so much on his shoulders… And it's hard to talk to him about his love life when all I want to do is cradle him and keep the world away."

Robin hugged his twin. "You're scared of letting him go, of acknowledging that our little Will is growing up."

"Yes… Mum and Mary are gone, and James will probably suffer the same fate… Dad's getting on in age, and Barbara has a fiancé… I don't want to lose more family."

Paul wiped away a few tears as Robin rubbed soothing circles on his back. "But Paul, you're not losing him; we'll be right with him, watching for the Dark. Besides, all we're doing is giving them the one thing that'll make them happy and whole. This is just one time where you have to let go."

"I know...I just didn't expect it to be so hard."

Robin smiled a little at that. "Who ever said it would be easy? Now, get some sleep, worrywart." He chortled as Paul smacked him with a pillow. "Fine, goodnight prick."

"Goodnight, bully."

**TBC...**

**Aniyu: Sorry about the shortness, but this chapter wasn't meant to be long. I hope to have the next one out soon, if I can stop revising what I'm doing. (pouts)**

**Will: You do that entirely too much.**

**Aniyu:I can't help it! I keep picturing different scenarios and--!**

**Bran: Well, stop. You can always do an alternate ending.**

**Aniyu: ...Maybe... Please R&R, and, again, sorry for the wait!!**


	15. Storm's Approach

**Aniyu: (sheepish smile) Hi, I'm back.**

**Will: What took you so long?**

**Aniyu: Too much, that's all I'll say. Anyway, I'm warning everyone now, this will be a cliffhanger. Why? Because I'm fine tuning the ending, which will probably be in two or three chapters.**

**Bran: I hate cliffhangers...(grumbles)**

**Anayi: Poor you; do the disclaimer.**

**Bran: Aniyu doesn't own us, the only thing she claims is the horse Rowan.**

**Aniyu: Pretty horse! (huggles) Enjoy the chapter everyone!**

Chapter 14:

Storm's Approach

_'Be natural, he said.... Easier said than done.'_

Will was positive that he would die from either pure anxiety of the coming battle, or anticipation of when Bran would tell him how he felt. The words he had overheard the night before kept running circles around his mind, and he was hard pressed to keep a ridiculous grin off his face. He had already surprised Bran by snuggling closer when the albino tried to wake him up for breakfast.

_'He loves me....'_

Robin and Paul kept shooting him knowing looks during breakfast, and Stephen seemed to be catching on very fast if his slowly growing smile was any indication. Bran was obviously confused, and Gwen seemed to be humming a wedding tune under her breath.

_'Okay, maybe I'll die from embarrassment instead if they don't stop looking at me like that.'_

It didn't take long for him to sober up when he registered the black gazes of Simon and James. The more he concentrated on them, the more Will felt as if his insides were freezing over. Thankfully, his father's voice snapped him out of it.

"All right everyone, finish up. We need to clean up and finish packing before Nathaniel's lot gets in."

Will smiled at the cheers that came from the twins, laughing out right when Max smacked them both in the back of the head. "Shut up, it's too early for that much noise."

His laughter abruptly ended when Bran set a hand on his back, a blush immediately covering his face. "C'mon Will, since we're done, we can start packing."

The brunette turned to the albino and lightly punched him with a pout, praying he could cover up the nearly inaudible squeak he had given at Bran's touch. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

From the amusement on Bran's face, Will concluded he was not successful. "Of course. Now, c'mon."

The two went up to their room, and after a few moments, Bran spoke lowly. "Did you feel it too?"

Taking the hint from his serious tone, Will nodded. "Yes...something is going to happen today... I just hope we'll be ready for when the storm crashes."

Bran nodded in agreement and the two became quiet with contemplation.

Within a couple hours, everyone had packed and welcomed the first guests. Bran had found himself as the center of attention for several minutes as he was examined by Uncle Nathaniel before being proclaimed suitable to marry into the family. He and Will blushed while Mr. Stanton knocked Nathaniel in the head.

While Mr. Stanton stayed to welcome more guests, the rest of them shipped off to the main farm to finish preparing. Gwen and Barbara went to work on the cooking for the day, while Jane enlisted Max and Barney to help finish some of the outfits. James and the twins were delegated as errand boys and sent into town to pick up items as needed. Will was sent up to his room with the dogs to keep himself entertained for the rest of the morning.

That left Stephen, Bran and Simon to finish setting up in the barn.

Bran was a little ways apart from the other two, but he was close enough to hear the conversation that ensued.

"So, you want to explain your attitude Simon?" Bran winced; that was definitely the sound of a fight waiting to happen.

"Pardon? I wasn't aware that I had anything to explain." "Don't play stupid with me, Simon. I'm well aware of how you've acted since you arrived. You've hit Will, threatened Bran, pissed off both me and Max, and the twins commented about you being violent with them. Have an explanation yet?"

A rather startling cackle came from Simon. "What's there to explain? It's Will's fault for not surrendering when I gave him the chance. As for the rest of you, you aren't even worth my time; you're just in my way."

"Excuse me? Last time I checked, you were a guest here and you're steadily wearing out your welcome. And why would Will surrender to a violent arse like you?"

Bran's head snapped up as he felt the air tense and crackle. "You should be careful what you say, Stephen. I am far above what you can handle, and you don't want Will to lose another sibling, do you?"

The albino rushed to Stephen and held him back as the man took a threatening step forward. "Are you threatening me?!"

"Stop it Stephen; he isn't worth the wasted breath."

"Oh come now, _Pendragon_; if he wishes to die then you shouldn't hold him back. It's a little sooner than I was planning, but it makes little difference."

Stephen growled savagely, but Bran refused to let up. "Let's get something straight, Drew: no one is going to be killed by you. Not now, not ever. I won't let you, and Will won't either."

"Ah yes, the _Old One_ is going to stop what's to come. Please, he won't be able to save himself, never mind any one else. The _Dark_ is rising again, and this time, he won't have any say in the outcome, and neither will you."

The albino felt Stephen tense and felt the tell-tale signs of a spell wearing off, and his eyes widened in understanding. Simon was deliberately phrasing his words to break the spell Will placed over Stephen's memories, trying to turn Stephen against his brother. Bran reached for Eirias with a wince; he needed to get Stephen to Will before the enchantment broke.

He didn't get the chance, however, as a bright light filled the barn, blinding them all. When the light cleared, both Simon and Stephen were unconscious and Bran was staring at an annoyed Gwen.

"What the..." "Be calm, my lord. I am one of the Rear Guard, trained by the Lady herself since I was young. I sensed the enchantment on Stephen wavering, and came as quickly as I could. Simon is causing more trouble than we need."

Bran gave an empty laugh. "That is an understatement." Gwen sighed. "I'll fixed the enchantment; you drag the pompous ass to the house."

He nodded, quickly dragging Simon to the porch before returning to the barn. Stephen was just stirring as Bran entered and both he and Gwen put on worried faces.

"You all right, Stephen?" "I think so... What happened?"

Gwen shook her head. "You and Simon got into a scuffle. Bran had to intervene before you hurt each other."

Stephen rubbed his head, mumbling. "The git deserved it..." "That may be, but try to refrain from anymore fighting. He won't be here much longer, so try to put up with him. Anyway, you two finish up and get inside. I'll see to Simon."

With that, Gwen left and Bran hauled Stephen to his feet. "Guess I knocked you both a bit hard. Sorry about that." "No, it's all right Bran. I can't believe I got into a scuffle with that prat, on Will's birthday no less."

Bran shrugged. "He had it coming, and Will didn't see it, so no harm done. Except maybe to your ego." Stephen lightly shoved Bran, before a far away look came to his face.

"Stephen? Something wrong?" "Well, not exactly.... I just feel like I'm missing something...and that a storm's coming."

"Yeah, it does..."

The two finished the preparations in silence before returning to the house. Stephen was hauled off by Jane and Barney, while Bran joined Will in his room. The worried look on the brunette's face was enough to tell Bran that Will had sensed what happened.

"Simon tried to break the enchantment on Stephen's memories." Will immediately reached for the door, fully intent on checking on Stephen, when Bran pulled him back.

"Calm down,my Phoenix; Gwen fixed it."

Will looked at Bran with wide-eyed confusion. Bran sat Will down and told him what happened. Relief spread over his love's face before worry resurfaced. "Simon will go after him again."

Bran smiled ruefully. "I doubt that will happen. Gwen's keeping an eye on him, and James is with the twins. For now, everything is fine."

"For now at least." Will started to relax, but a familiar voice caused him to snap to attention.

"The Dark is on the move."

Both teens looked to the window, and saw Merriman standing there, looking worried and hassled. "The battle is beginning; until it is over, you will only have the Rear Guard as your defense."

The two nodded solemnly and Merriman departed with a sad farewell. Whatever calm the two had felt was now gone, and anxiety surrounded and filled them.

After a brief lunch, Will was once again delegated to his room while everyone finished the preparations and started getting dressed. The youngest Old One watched with trepidation as the sky grew dark with both the coming night, and ominous black clouds.

Bran was in the barn, fully dressed, with the other guests and all of the siblings except Will and Stephen. It was traditional that the eldest brother lead out the birthday boy, explaining the elder's absence. The albino prince was talking lowly with the twins and Gwen, figuring out a plan.

Gwen was to stay near the refreshments, furthest from the entrance to guard the guests at the back. Paul would be on the right side of the barn where the younger guests were occupied, in case they needed to be evacuated. Robin would be on the left side where the dance floor ended. And Bran would be near the entrance as a watch whenever he wasn't with Will, who would likely be near the center of the dance floor.

They were interrupted by the raucous applause that signaled Stephen and Will's arrival. Bran was lightly pressed forward by the grinning twins and he blushed as he took in Will's appearance.

In his mind, angelic didn't even come close to being a strong enough description.

Will was in awe at Bran's own appearance, and he mentally praised his sisters for their wonderful taste.

Stephen handed his little brother over to the albino with a serene smile, knowing Will was in good hands. The mini orchestra, made up of several Stanton relatives, started up a jaunty tune, and Bran led Will into the first dance of the night.

"This may sound a little over the top, but, do you know how beautiful you look?"

A deep red blush stained Will's cheeks as lightly nudged Bran. "Look who's talking. You have at least half my cousins drooling over you."

"I noticed." Will laughed at the dryness of Bran's tone, cheekily waving to one of his younger female cousins, who was trying to subtly motion Bran over for the rest of the dance.

After a second dance, everyone was permitted to get food and drink. Will and Bran were dragged around to greet all the guests. Well, Bran technically didn't have to, but he had seen the way Simon was staring at Will with dark desire. So, he remained at Will's side, shooting poisonous glares at Simon when he could.

There were three or four more dances before Gwen announced that it was time for cake and presents. Will smiled as everyone started singing while the candles were being lit. When the song ended, Will paused a moment, concentrating on his wish before blowing out all the candles.

'I wish, with all my heart, that the Lights in my life will never fade away: my family, my fellow Old Ones, my friends....and my prince, my Bran.'

With that, cake was passed around until everyone had been served. Then Will opened the presents from his relatives, which included sweaters, metalworking tools, a few books, and sheet music. Will received another sweater from his sisters and a set of white leather hair ties from Jane. From Barney, Will received a beautiful painting of the Happy Valley in Wales, sending a twinge of nostalgia through him and Bran.

Will laughed with a flush as he opened the twins' present; they did gag gifts for everyone on their birthdays and Will's was a thin, chain-link tiara. The note that came with it said: "For our precious little prince(ss) of the evening! Love you little brother! The Twins." He slipped it on, rolling his eyes at their grins.

He and Bran warily eyed the present that was labeled from both Simon and James. Will muttered a spell to make sure there was nothing harmful about it, before opening it. Surprisingly, there were two red roses inside tied together by a black ribbon. Will looked at the roses with sad eyes; he knew the roses represented him and Bran, the love between them though it had yet to be admitted. The ribbon, however, was one commonly used for funeral bouquets.

Max's present cheered him right up, as it was a photo album filled with pictures of his friends, family, and the horses and dogs. His father gave him a new set of writing books, knowing of Will's knack for poetry.

Stephen gave Will his own beloved copy of Robert Frost's works, nearly bringing Will to tears as he knew how much his brother loved that book.

Finally, Bran's was the last present left, and Will gasped with delighted wonder when he opened it. On a thin silver chain was a pendant: a miniature Eirias circled by silver flames shaped like a phoenix. He could sense not only the protective magic that encircled the pendant, but the love that Bran put into it, that pulsed out in waves.

Will slipped it on, taking a moment to reign in his feelings that just wanted to lance out of him, and he smiled dazzlingly at Bran. "Thank you, Bran."

There was more dancing before Stephen begged a dance from his little brother. Free for the moment, Bran moved to the barn entrance and leaned against the frame in deep thought.

_'Something isn't right... Nothing has happened yet, and the party is going to end soon... Maybe I'm being paranoid; with the Dark currently fighting the Old Ones, maybe Simon's waiting for that battle to end so he has reinforcements...'_

"What's wrong, Bran? Have you sensed something?"

Bran was startled out of his thoughts by Will's soft voice and he took a moment to admire the brunette before replying. "It's more what I'm not sensing that worries me."

Will nodded in agreement. "I feel the same, but if we dwell on it too long the party will notice. Join me for a dance?"

He chuckled as Will gave a mock curtsy. "Certainly."

The two danced the last of the jaunty waltz, Bran feeling an odd sense of deja vu, before the music melted into a slower waltz. As they slowed with the music, something inside Bran screamed _'tell him now!'_, and he knew the moment had come.

"Will?" "Yes, Bran?"

The brunette held in a gasp as Bran gently tilted his head up so their eyes met. _'Is he going to tell me?'_

"There's something I need to tell you...something I should have told you three years ago on that shore before I ever made my choice."

TBC...

**Aniyu: And that's a wrap for today.**

**Bran and Will: WHAT?! But it's the middle of the confession!!!**

**Anayi: Exactly; besides, she warned you that there would be a cliffhanger at the beginning of the chapter.**

**Will: I didn't think it would be right then....**

**Aniyu: Sorry guys, but you'll forgive me... In a couple chapters anyway.**

**Anayi: R&R everyone!**


	16. Broken and Tattered

**Aniyu: And we're back! (crickets chirp)**

**Anayi: I think they all went on strike.**

**Aniyu: (teary-eyed) Oh, well, I don't own, so please don't sue! (sniffles)**

Chapter 15:

Broken and Tattered

Will's mental process ceased to function as Bran pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. His entire sense of existence narrowed to where they touched, and the rest of the world simply melted away.

_'Is...this really happening?'_

He returned the chaste press with every bit of love he possessed before they broke for air. Bran's amber eyes swirled to molten gold as he whispered those little words Will so desperately needed to hear.

"I love you, my _dewin_, my Phoenix."

The brunette hugged Bran as tightly as he could without hurting the albino, whispering softly.

"And I love you, my lord, my Pendragon."

Bran wrapped his arms around the smaller teen, warmth filling him at those words. But the tender moment was interrupted when the world spun in a multitude of colors, and the feel of time magic snapping forced them to cling together for safety.

"How sweet, a birthday confession. Are you going to propose too?"

Both teens looked up when the world stopped spinning, spotting Simon and James almost instantly. Will's eyes flashed steel gray with ire. "What time have you brought us to?"

"That is inconsequential; just know that it is far enough back that no one will be here to assist you for a long while." Simon's silky tone was paired with a decidedly wicked smile, and James simply looked satisfied.

A quick glance around confirmed to Will that there was no one around but the four of them, and a quick check with his senses proved that there were no Old Ones nearby to call for aid. "Care to enlighten us as to why we're here?"

James' eyes glinted with both glee and fury. "Why do you think?" His arm shot out and a wave of black lightning shot at the two.

Will and Bran pushed away from each other to dodge it, and Bran was forced to draw Eirias as Simon leapt at him wielding a Kris Broadsword. Sparks flew as the two blades clashed, but Bran ignored that in favor of calling out to Will in worry.

"Look out!"

The brunette looked up from where he had knelt to regain his balance, and saw James rushing at him with, of all things, a Claymore. Will moved in a blur and no one was quite sure what had happened until he spun away from James, an elegant sword in hand, and his brother clutched his right wrist in pain.

Simon and Bran separated, and Simon growled. "That's not the sword the Black Rider mentioned to me." "That's because I received this today."

**(Aniyu: Okay, since I suck at describing weapons, I'll tell you that it looks like a slightly longer version of Legolas' long knives from Lord of the Rings. BTW, I don't own LotR!)**

The blade itself was at least a foot and a half in length with an elegant curve. Runes Bran didn't recognize were engraved on the blade, which shined along with the edge as if they were coated with liquid diamond. The hilt was smooth and lightly curved, made of Rowan wood, and lacking a guard and pommel. What caught everyone's eyes were the six small adornments on either side of the hilt which reflected very familiar signs.

"Silverlode, the last blade of Elven craft in this world." "You lie! The Black Rider said the Elves left before the time of the Old Ones and took all they had made with them!"

Will looked at Simon balefully. "Then the Rider was foolish. Though it was rare, Elves did form bonds with Men, and left them gifts of Elven craft. Silverlode, however, was given to Herne the Hunter as a gift from Erynion**(1)**, the Last Elf. It is said that Erynion made all but the hilt and it's adornments from the remains of his dearest friend, the dragon Silverlode, as per her request when she sacrificed her life for his**(2)**. The blade from her scales and horns; the diamond-like coating from her blood, claws and fangs; and the belt and scabbard from her hide, bones, and sinew."

Simon and James both looked like they would choke, while Bran and Will gazed at the sword with reverence. "The Six Signs, to my understanding, were forged in reverence to these very adornments**(3)**. Iron to represent Onyx, Bronze from the Andalusite, Wood to reflect Agate, Stone to represent Moonstone, Fire from the Fire Opal, and Water to reflect Aquamarine."

"And how the hell did you get it?! You never left your room and the Old Ones are all engaging the Dark!" Will rolled his eyes at James exclamation. "I believe I said it was given to Herne the Hunter as a gift? Well, he paid me a visit and is lending me Silverlode for now."

_**Flashback**_

"I greet you, Youngest of the Old Ones."

Will whirled around and shot to his feet, eyes widening at the sight of Herne the Hunter. The teen bowed low. "I welcome you, Great Hunter. To what do I owe the honor of your presence?"

Herne motioned for him to rise and step forward. "I know of the ordeal that returned your Pendragon's memories, and I know of the toll it took on your powers. You have yet to recover."

The brunette's eyes took on a more blue color as he nodded grimly. "I'm afraid I was heavily drained, and repelling the Rider the other night has also hindered my recovery. It could be several more days before I have fully recovered."

"It is because of this that I have decided to entrust you with this."

Herne removed a belt and scabbard, which had previously been hidden from Will's sight, from his waist and drew the sword. Will's eyes widened in awe as he took in the sight of the elegant blade. "This was given to me by a friend long past."

Will listened to the origins of the blade with child-like wonder, blushing when he noted the amused glint in Herne's eyes. When the story was finished, Herne sheathed Silverlode and held it out to Will. The teen gently accepted the blade before bowing respectfully.

"My deepest thanks, Great Hunter. I can only hope that I honor you and Erynion when I wield Silverlode."

He blinked as Herne placed a hand beneath his chin, having him rise and look into amber eyes that so reminded him of Bran.

"Wield Silverlode as you would any blade while defending your Pendragon and your loved ones, and you will. Of that I have no doubts."

A light blush spread on Will's face at the praise. "Thank you."

Herne nodded and stepped back, vanishing with a few parting words. "My strength be with you and the Pendragon, Phoenix of the Prince."

Will blinked at that. "How did he know Bran call's me _'Phoenix'_?"

His only answer was a far off chuckle.

_**End Flashback**_

"I don't care how special that sword is, it won't save you!"

Will leapt back as James swung his Claymore in an attempt to sever Will's legs from his body. Bran was forced to clash with Simon again, growling in frustration as he watched Will dance around James' wild swings.

"Poor Pendragon, can't help his precious Phoenix." Bran's eyes snapped back to Simon, flashing to a feral copper with rage.

"Shut up!" Bran slammed Simon back, preparing to strike a major wound when he darted toward Will. Likewise, James rushed around Will to run at Bran. Will turned and both teens blocked the blows from the switched opponents.

"I see you won't kill James, Will." "You're using him; I refuse to kill my own brother when he doesn't realize he's being used."

The brunette spun away from Simon, leaping over a low-swung blow and sending a silent thank you to his sisters for making his dress loose enough to fight in. Bran had taken over Will's strategy of dancing around James' wild swings as the older cursed and hissed at the albino.

"Listen James, do you even know what you're doing?! You're fighting for a guy who's going to leave you for dead if the Dark succeeds! Simon wants Will, that's his only motivation for dragging you into this! If he gets Will, you're history!"

"SHUT UP! Simon told me you were a lying piece of shit, but that little story was ridiculous! He wants Will tortured and destroyed just as much as I do for breaking his heart! He knows I'm better for him!"

Bran looked at him incredulously. "Are you even listening to yourself, you raving lunatic?!" "SHUT UP AND DIE!"

"Bran!" Bran felt Will press to his back and the two turned sharply, switching opponents again.

Will ran forward under James' downward stroke and rammed his shoulder into his brother's gut, throwing him back and twisting away to avoid being hit with the flat side of the Claymore.

Simon growled as Bran scored a sliced across his chest and retaliated with a slice to the albino's left upper arm. Bran didn't notice as blood splashed on the hidden scabbard for Eirias, nor did he realize the swing had also cut the scabbard belt, causing the whole thing to drop. Simon smirked a little as a _Milgwn_ retrieved the scabbard and vanished.

If Bran noticed the smirk, he might have realized they were playing right into Simon's hands.

"I wonder, Pendragon; just how strong is your bond with Will?"

Feral eyes narrowed in suspicion at the question before widening in shock as Simon vanished. Bran whipped around to see Will trying to block a strike from James as Simon appeared behind him. "Will, behind you!"

Will couldn't react quick enough as James suddenly leapt back and Simon twisted Will's sword arm behind him. But rather than hurt Will, or taunt Bran, Simon threw Will forward with a hiss of time magic.

When the brunette fell to the snow-covered ground, he found himself back in front of the barn but it was well into morning. Will scrambled to his knees desperately searching with his senses for Bran. It was no good; without a timeframe to go by, Will had no idea when to look for his prince.

"Will!"

His quivering, now gray, eyes looked up to see Gwen and the twins running to him with worry. Paul was first to ask. "Are you all right? Where's Bran?"

"I-I don't know...I have no idea what time Simon pulled us into; and he threw me back here before I could figure it out... Bran, Bran's still there..."

Gwen stooped and pulled her little brother into a tight hug. "Calm down, we can't fix anything if you're panicking. When the four of you vanished, Robin and I were forced to knock everyone but Paul unconscious. We got them all to bed and we were on guard for any ambushes, but nothing happened. It's mid-morning now..."

"And a very somber morning it is, don't you agree?"

The four Stanton siblings looked up to see the Black Rider on his mount, barely twenty paces away. Will shot to his feet with a growl, his eyes shifting to steel gray and Silverlode leveled at the Rider.

"There's no point in demanding when your prince is, Sign Seeker." The Rider held up Eirias' scabbard and belt, both splashed with blood. Will's eyes widened and his body shook with denial. His heart steadily broke as denials swam in his mind.

"Y-You lie... Bran's not--"

"While it's true the Pendragon regained his memories, I don't believe he was granted back his immortality. Your mistake for not checking, Old One."

The Rider threw the scabbard to Will's feet and the brunette slowly knelt down, picking it up with trembling hands. Gwen stared at the Rider with hatred, hands glowing bright white with power. "Monster..."

"If you wish for a chance to avenge your beloved lord, Old One, meet me in the old grove near the Old Way at sunset. Oh, and come alone." The Rider vanished with a high-pitched cackle.

Robin and Paul both growled viciously at the hoof prints left in the snow by the Rider's mount. Gwen, however, looked at Will with deep concern.

Will was clutching Eirias' scabbard as a tear trailed down his face. He was focused on the blood, so wrapped in his sorrow and hate for the Dark that he didn't notice the trickle of anger coming down the Bond to swirl with his own feelings.

He stood and looked at his siblings with wild eyes, the stormy-blue rapidly becoming flecked with black. If they looked deep enough, they could see his breaking, tattered soul. "I'll be in the barn practicing."

Robin stepped forward cautiously. "Will, you aren't really going to--" "_I'll destroy that bastard! Him and Simon for what they've done!_"

All three older siblings jumped back at the furious swell of magic and anguish that projected from Will as he whirled around and stormed to the barn. They exchanged helpless looks and Gwen whispered sadly.

"We need to let the Lady know what's happened, and quickly. Or we'll lose Will to the Dark."

TBC...

**Aniyu: Okay! Two more chapters left!!**

**Anayi: You know, someone's going to kill you for the angst in this chapter, hikari-chan.**

**Aniyu: (sniffles) Probably.**

**(1) I did not make up this name. There is a site, Elvish Name Translations, that has lists of boy and girl names translated into LotR Elvish. Erynion is derived from Wood, meaning **_**'of the Wood'**_**.**

**(2) The story of Erynion and the dragon Silverlode is based on a story I wrote for my Theatre Class back in Junior year. Feel free to ask me for details.**

**(3) I don't remember who and where the Signs were forged and I don't currently have my set of books to check. I'd be grateful if someone cold clarify this for me.**

**Aniyu: Hope you enjoyed! R&R please!**


	17. When Angels Fall

**Aniyu: Hello again!**

**Bran: (snarling) YOU! (tries to cut Aniyu)**

**Aniyu: Eep! I'm sorry! But I needed that last chapter to start bringing this story to a close!!**

**Will: (teary-eyed) You're so mean to me....**

**Anayi: (sighs) You all know the disclaimer by this point. Oh, beware of possible tearjerker at the end of this chapter. Now excuse me while I go save my hikari.**

Chapter 16:

When Angels Fall...

_**(In the Unknown Time)**_

Bran blinked at the spot Will had been standing before charging at Simon with a feral growl.

"_What did you do?!_"

A particularly demented smile spread across Simon's face. "Tell me, Pendragon; what happens when angels fall? When their wings can no longer keep them aloft and that which makes them whole fades from their hearts?"

Even James looked a little confused at Simon's questions. "Simon, what are you talking about?"

"He speaks of three types of angel; angels with no visible wings. Those few of the Light that can be considered pure; those of the Dark, that can make the brightest day seem as night. And then, there are those who's inner scales have been tilted by something beyond their control, something that decays their essence from within until there is nothing left." **(1)**

James' and Bran's heads had snapped toward the new voice part way through the explanation, while Simon merely laughed quietly. The Black Rider stood a few yards away, his voice almost whimsical while his eyes were malicious.

Bran growled lowly, not liking where this conversation was going and not noticing how his ire was spiraling down the Bond. "And the point of this drivel is?"

The Rider smirked motioning James over to his side. "If you remember correctly, you were told of a Light Angel in your vision. How would he fare if he believed the one who makes his heart whole...was gone forever?"

Amber eyes widened with worry. "You--!"

Before Bran could finish, the Rider vanished with James in tow and the albino was forced to contend with Simon again. "Leave Will alone, you bastard..."

Simon chuckled. "So sorry, but that can't be done. The only way I can have him now is if he falls too far to be saved. And the only way that will happen, is by breaking him; and if the Light is destroyed in the process, it's of no consequence to me."

The Pendragon snarled, swinging Eirias fiercely. "How many times do I have to say it?! He will never be yours!"

"We shall see about that."

_**(In the Stanton Barn)**_

Will was a whirlwind of sorrow, rage, and power as he swung Silverlode, striking enemies he could see only in his mind.

He wanted to collapse just so he could cry and never stop; he wanted to send pleas through the Bond and beg for Bran to be alive. But he was too angry, too hurt to concentrate on anything but the Rider's challenge.

_'He'll pay, Bran; I swear he'll pay!'_

At the doors, Paul was keeping watch on his youngest brother with deep worry. Robin was busy keeping everyone else sleeping so they wouldn't be in danger, while Gwen had gone to contact the Lady.

Paul glanced outside, wincing as he saw the sun's position in the sky and turning his attention back to Will. _'It's all ready mid-afternoon...and Will hasn't rested even once. If he keeps this up, he'll be too exhausted to defend himself.'_

"Will, you need to rest."

The brunette's black-flecked gray eyes snapped to his older brother, the wild fury within them scaring Paul slightly. "It's already mid-afternoon, Will. If you truly feel you need to accept the Rider's challenge, then you need to rest...Otherwise you'll be dead on your feet when you face him."

A hollow, tear-choked laugh came from Will in response. "Dead? I'm afraid it's a little late for that, Paul...but you are right."

The musician watched as Will walked over to where the refreshments had been the night before, where Rowan was now laying down. The brunette settled beside the horse, curling against his flank and absently stroked his mane. His free hand reached up to clutch the pendent Bran had given him, his eyes resting on Eirias' scabbard and belt, which laid by his knees.

It didn't take long for Will to dose off, but with sleep came the tears the youngest Old One had been holding in for hours.

Sighing sadly, Paul strode forward with the winter duster coat he'd been holding for a while. He covered his brother with the coat, then gently brushed some of the tears away before returning to his post at the door.

_'Hurry Gwen... Time is almost up.'_

_**(Elsewhere)**_

Gwen ran into the hall of the Light**(2)**, the place where Will had first come to learn about his Old One powers. Her steps silent on the sheepskin rugs, her harsh breaths echoing through the stone hall, Gwen hurried to the large table at the head of the hall.

The fireplace blazed to life at her approach, illuminating the table to reveal that the candle ring that had once resided there was gone. In it's place was a wide bowl of Applewood, set upon a round, river stone slab. It was filled almost to the brim with what appeared to be morning mist.

Reaching the table and clambering on top to sit beside the bowl, Gwen pulled a pendent out from beneath her shirt. It was an Iris carved from Aquamarine**(3)**, no more than an inch and a half long, hung on a thin leather cord. She pulled off the necklace, and held it suspended above the bowl for a moment before lowering it so the tip of its stem touched the water that was revealed in the mist.

She then released the cord, but rather than sinking, the pendent stayed perfectly balanced on its tip. The cord floated lazily in the mist, never touching the water, even as Gwen leaned over the bowl to speak.

"Lady of Light, please hear me!"**(4)**

From the tip of the pendent, gentle ripples formed in the water and the Lady's voice rang out. "Gwen? You sound distressed; what has happened?"

"Lady, please, you must send us aid! If you don't...I fear Will is going to fall to the Dark!"

The eldest of the Stanton sisters swiftly recounted what had happened in the las several hours, quickly becoming hysterical. "I don't know what to do to help him...Robin doesn't either...What should we do?!"

"Calm yourself, Gwen; hysteria certainly won't help. I will inform the others and we will end this battle as quickly as we can. Return to your brothers, Gwen; help will be there soon."

Gwen cried a little at that. "Please hurry...time's almost up."

_**(With the Old Ones)**_

The Lady blasted three _Milgwn_ out of her way as she hurried to Merriman and Arthur's sides. "We must end this!"

Arthur turned worried eyes to her. "What has happened?" "Gwen, our Watchman's eldest sister and one of the Rear Guard, contacted me. The Pendragon and the Watcher need urgent assistance."

She quickly relayed what Gwen had told her, and Merriman growled at it's conclusion. "That explains why the Black Rider disappeared."

The oldest of the Old Ones and his lord turned to the remaining forces of the Dark, which trembled at the power and fury beginning to whirl around the pair. "Then let us end this," Arthur stated calmly.

_**(With Gwen)**_

The brunette dried her tears, approaching the doors that would lead her to the path toward home, before she paused with wide eyes.

The doors were shaking, as if being rammed with something extremely heavy. Gwen tucked her pendent away and began chanting lowly, a swirl of white and aqua light surrounding her before fading away. She now held a very large oaken bow, a large quiver resting on her back filled with the same morning mist as the bowl.

Her tunic, pants, and belt were bleach white, while her tabard and boots were an ice blue comparable to the Water Sign**(5)**. The insignia of the Pendragon was emblazoned on the tabard in aquamarine, and her Iris pendent hung just above it, glowing with power.

She continued to chant until an opening appeared above the doors, a ladder accompanying it. Gwen slung her bow on to her shoulder before scaling up to her perch and taking a ready position.

Breathing deeply, Gwen looked down to see who was pounding on the doors and gasped. "James..."

James looked up at her, surprise quickly melting into anger and betrayal. "You too, Gwen?! You're betraying the family too?!"

"James, listen to me! You're being deceived; the Rider and Simon have lied to you so you'll do what they want until they have no use for you! They--"

"SHUT UP! The only thing I want to hear from you, Will, and Robin are pleas for forgiveness before you die, traitor!" James roared before launching a wave of dark lightning at her.

Gwen winced and bore it before reaching into the quiver. From the mist emerged what looked like three arrows of diamond and ice, and she drew back all three.

"I'm sorry James...good-bye, my brother," she whispered as she took aim, and let them fly.

**(With Bran)**

Sparks flared as blades met for what seemed to be the thousandth time, before the two combatants pulled back from each other. Both were panting from the exertion, but neither looked ready to give up.

Bran's feral gold eyes swirled copper with frustration. _'Damn it! Without anyway back, I'm stuck dealing with this moron...and Will needs me! I can't let that dream come to pass, I can't!'_

"Ready to give up, Pendragon?"

The albino growled at Simon's condescending tone. "Tell me something; in the highly unlikely event you succeed, what do you think will become of you and Will?"

Simon grinned, "I'll have what I desire, and we'll watch you and the Light perish."

"But is that what will really happen?" Simon cocked his head at the question, and Bran continued. "Even if you succeed in helping the Dark win, they would never let Will survive, especially at the request of someone who has betrayed once and may do so again. What's more, Will couldn't survive without the Light, wouldn't want to... And once the Dark has no more use for you, you would be destroyed... So tell me, Simon Drew; is this really in your best interest? To give up everything you once held dear for an assured death?"

For the first time since this whole mess had started days earlier, Simon actually stopped and thought. Bran waited anxiously, praying the older teen would come to his senses.

"I.... Even if that's true, it's too late to stop now," Simon answered, looking up with empty resolve before the madness began to creep back in. "I guess we'll know, when all this ends. But I refuse to give up since this is my only chance to have Will."

Though Bran bristled at that last sentence, the Pendragon couldn't help but look at Simon with pity. "You're a fool, Simon..."

And their blades clashed again.

_**(The Stanton Barn)**_

Paul and Robin were watching the sun dip lower with apprehension from their respective posts. Robin descended from the second floor of the house to join Paul at the barn.

"Time's nearly up...any word from Gwen?" Paul was looking at his twin almost pleadingly, but Robin shook his head grimly.

"No...I fear something is wrong. I'm going after her; you stay and keep watch over Will," Robin replied before dashing away, a protest dying on Paul's lips.

He sighed, checking to make sure Will was still sleeping before returning his gaze to the sky.

_'Maybe...maybe if I don't wake him, Will won't make the deadline and won't get hurt...'_

But just as Paul thought this, he heard Will speak. "It's time."

Paul whirled to look at him, seeing Will brush hay from his attire, which had melded to his formal battle attire**(6)** hours ago. Rowan stood as the teen stroked his mane, Will climbing up on to his bare back and lightly twining his fingers in the silky mane.

"Will..." "I've made up my mind Paul; I'm going, and that's the end of it. I'll either avenge Bran......or I'll fade into Oblivion."

The two were silent for a moment, Will gazing at Paul, while Paul stared at the floor. Then, Paul gave a bitter laugh as he wrapped his arms around himself.

"I know, Will. I couldn't stop you if I tried... If I did, you'd fade from a broken heart, and if I let you go, I'll lose you to either the Dark or Oblivion. No matter what I do, I'm losing my baby brother..."

A couple tears slipped from him, before he found Will hugging him tight. Paul hugged his brother back just as tightly, still crying, but a small bit of happiness entered him when he pulled back to see Will's eyes.

The black flecks had vanished, leaving Will's eyes a blue-grey rainstorm. "Please understand, Paul... Without Bran, I'm not whole. It was torture just having him there without his memories; but with him dead... My heart and soul don't have the strength to keep going. The Light and High Magic knew this; that's why the _Memory Enchantment_ was only temporary for him... The only thing I can do now is to try to avenge him, so I can go in peace."

Tears spilled faster as Paul listened to Will, but Will wiped them away, giving him a gentle peck on the cheek like he had done as a child. "I love you, Paul, and every one of our siblings, our father, our relatives, and my friends. And on that love I do swear: I will not go to the Dark; I won't betray the Light. Good-bye, my brother."

That was the last thing Paul heard as Will cast a sleep spell on him; the last thing he saw before falling, was Will's shaky smile and his crystal tears.

Will caught his brother and muttered a spell to transport the prone form to his bed, before climbing back on to Rowan's back.

Leaving the barn, he paused a moment to take in his surroundings. He smiled sadly at the fields he had helped take care of for most of his life; at the barn where he had made so many wonderful memories; and even at the thrice-damned chicken pens he had always complained about. He cried as he waved at the backdoor of his home, where the dogs could be seen whining.

At last, he turned Rowan toward the Old Way, lightly nudging Rowan's sides with a whisper, "Good-bye..."

He never saw Stephen standing in front of the attic bedroom window with wide eyes, which watched as his younger brother rode at high speeds toward the forest.

_**(With Gwen)**_

"James, it is time."

Gwen paused in her volley for a split second at the sound of the Black Rider's voice, before cursing as James vanished with a mad smirk.

She quickly descended from her perch, throwing the doors open and running down the path toward the gates to her home time. While running, she crashed into Robin.

"Gwen, what happened? It's nearly time!" "James delayed me before the Rider fetched him. We must hurry and help Will, because our time is up!"

_**(With Will)**_

Will stopped Rowan far down the Old Way before turning the horse around and dismounting. Petting his companion one more time, Will bade the horse return home and stepped off the Old Way. He walked through the trees for a few seconds, before emerging into a vast clearing.

There, the Black Rider stood waiting with a malicious smile.

"Welcome, young Watchman. Tell me, are you prepared to meet the end of your existence?"

There was silence as Will drew Silverlode, leveling the blade at the Rider before replying quietly. "When is anyone truly prepared to die, Black Rider?"

With that, Will leapt forward with an over head strike as the Black Rider drew the false Eirias with a cackle.

_**(With Bran)**_

The two fighters separated again, both panting and at their limits. Simon let out a mad laugh, even as he had to use his sword to stay standing.

"I think it's obvious we are both unable to go much further. Shall we finish this in one strike, Pendragon?"

Bran nodded. "Very well."

The two rushed at each other, neither acknowledging the sudden appearance of the Lady, Merriman, and Arthur as they swung their blades.

Though Bran received a deep wound to his left upper arm, Simon was stabbed through the right lung. Bran withdrew Eirias from Simon, and the teen fell to the ground, a laugh of irony bubbling out of him.

"S-So...this is what he**(7)** meant... I-It would seem...that Will and I will spend...all eternity together...in Oblivion...."

Simon smirked up at Bran, even as his form began to disappear. "Y-You may have...beaten me, Pendragon....but the p-prize.......is mine..."

Bran turned away from Simon. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

The albino rushed to meet his father as Simon vanished into Oblivion, the Lady reaching over to heal his deepest wound as he spoke. "Father, we must get to Will, quickly!"

"I know my son, we're going now. Let us pray we aren't too late."

_**(With Gwen)**_

"Hurry Robin!"

The two arrived back near the Old Way, and were now running to the only clearing they knew of to help Will.

Robin was lightly panting as he gave Gwen's back a light glare. "I am hurrying, Gwen! But I'm carrying a bit more weight than you are!"

And it was true; after all, two-handed maces were very heavy weapons. Robin's was completely made of bronze with large flanges and a spike at the top. His tunic and pants were white with a bronze-colored tabard and an oak belt and boots. The Pendragon crest rested on his tabard in the cream color, and the pendent he wore was a Myrtle blossom made of Andalusite.

"There! It's just ahead!" Robin gave a sigh of relief as he heard the sound of blades clashing after her exclamation. It meant that there was still time.

_**(With Will)**_

The Rider cackled as he threw Will back, eyes gleaming as he took note that James was in position.

"I hope you're prepared, Watcher, because here is where you end!"

Will caught his balance as the Rider rushed at him, shifting Silverlode to a defensive position as he awaited the Rider's attack.

Several things happened at once.

First, Merriman and the Lady arrived with Bran and Arthur, Bran's eyes widening as his dream flashed before him. Gwen and Robin burst into the clearing, mostly out of breath, and drew their weapons. James smiled madly as he closed in on Will's unprotected back.

An then an unexpected voiced screamed out. "Will, behind you!"

The youngest Old One reacted immediately, stepping to the left as he turned, and leaving James and the Rider on a collision course. James, realizing what happened moved his blade to the side so he wouldn't stab the Rider, knowing he had too much momentum to stop.

The Rider did no such thing; he thrust the false Eirias forward with a sickening grin to sheath it in James' chest.

Everyone froze with shock, while James coughed up blood, his form already beginning to fade.

"Poor little James; you really should have listened to your brother. After all, he wasn't the one who sent your mother and sister to Oblivion before the Battle at the Tree," the Rider chided gleefully. "But don't worry, Simon is all ready waiting for you, and your brother will be joining you shortly."

With that, the Rider snatched the blood sword from James' limp hand and slammed it, blade first, into a stunned Will's gut.

While James disappeared before ever hitting the ground, tears of hatred cascading down his face, Will looked down at the sword with shock as he collapsed to his knees and the Rider laughed as he backed away with the fake Eirias. Silverlode slipped from Will's fingers before he fell on his side, coughing blood.

"WILL!!"

The brunette looked up weakly and tears fell from his failing eyes as he saw the one person he thought he had lost. "B-Bran..." (I'm so sorry....I should have known...should have felt.....I...love you...)

Bran cradled Will as he cried his own tears. (Don't go, Will! I love you so much, too much to lose you!...... Will? Will!)

It was no use, Will had lost consciousness, and, excruciatingly slowly, he was beginning to fade.

TBC.....

**Anayi: .......Oh dear.....**

**Will: ..........(faints)**

**Aniyu: Before anyone starts panicking, THERE WILL BE A HAPPY ENDING!! PROMISE!!**

**Bran: (low growl) There better be...**

**Aniyu: (winces) Please don't kill me....**

**(1) This is not meant to be a religious reference! This is strictly something metaphorical!**

**(2) I couldn't find a proper name for it in the books; if I missed it, please let me know!**

**(3) Refers back to Silverlode's adornments; see if you can my intentions for this reference.**

**(4) She's of the Light, but not an Old One and therefore doesn't have as strong telepathic abilities as one; she and the rest of the Rear Guard needed a way to communicate with the Lady herself.**

**(5) (points at number three) Ties in with that.**

**(6) I'm referring back to the outfit Will was wearing in chapter 10.**

**(7) Meaning the Rider, not Bran.**

**Aniyu: Okay, this chapter was way overdue, but for good reason. I'm rewriting and reformatting a lot of the earlier chapters, because reading them now makes me wonder why I put them up. So, it may be a while before the final chapter comes out. Please be patient with me! I'm nearly done! R&R please!**


	18. Requesting Assistance

**Aniyu: *falls over* Okay, I give.**

**Anayi: *winces* I told you, you should have asked months ago.**

**Aniyu: *sighs* I know, I know. But I'm stubborn. Okay, here's the deal readers, I know I promised to have the final chapter out last July, but I ran into extreme difficulties. Between a vindictive cousin and some computer problems, when I was finally able to sit down and write the chapter......I got writer's block.**

**Anayi: She decided to take a step back and work on other things to hopefully cure her writer's block. Well, she has most of the chapter written but now she can't get the scenes to flow the way she wants, and there's a part in particular she's just stuck on.**

**Aniyu: I've tried rewriting the whole thing, taking scenes out, and changing the order of some scenes. It has not worked. So, I have to request help. If anyone is willing to look over what I have and give me some assistance, please review and send me a PM with an email address. The sooner I get help, the sooner the last chapter will be up. Credit will be given where credit is due. Please and thank you!**


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